Poisoned Roses
by x.S.May.Elliot.x
Summary: Supernatural based story centered on Sam Winchester's children who have been rolled into the art of demon hunting and go to live with their Uncle Dean when there father is attacked.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I'm kinda new at this so please dont judge :) **

**Prologue**

All she could remember was the pain. The sick way the knife twisted inside of her. She placed the heel of her boot on his abdomen and pushed him away from her. The girl scrambled to her feet, holding her wound to keep the blood from pouring down the rest of  
her body. She darted in the opposite direction, eyes darting back and forth searching  
frantically for an exit. His footsteps pounded the floor behind her.

She rounded the corner to where she remembered the door had been, only to skid to a halt as she realized that there was nothing there except a concrete wall.

The girl turned around, tears running down her dirty face. She could see his silhouette walking down the corridor toward her. In a matter of seconds he stood just inches away.

He lifted the knife to her cheek and dragged it along her face and down to her collar bone. "They're dead." he smiled, his teeth glinting despite their yellowish tint corresponding to the color of his eyes which crinkled with evil intent. He pressed the blade roughly against her skin and she winced, holding back the sobs. "Your family is dead."

**Chapter One**

Griffin Blackly woke with a start, a cold sweat covering her skin and sheets. Her chest heaved gasps of terror, her mind still projecting the awful nightmare she couldn't shake. Tears soaked her face and neck. Your okay, she told herself over and over again, your fine.

"Bad dream again?"

Griffin jumped, startled.

"Dammit, Cale." she sighed out her relief.

"Sorry." her older brother smiled apologetically, sitting on a chair at her desk across the room.

"Why are you in here anyway?" she sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and cradling her baby blue bedspread in her sleepy arms. She tried to sound nonchalant and not at all rude, but she was still scared to hell.

Cale's smiled vanished and his eyes sank to the ground. "You were crying again."

Griffin's heart sank like a rock to her stomach. Three times. _Three times _this had happened to her. Her face twisted in sadness and the tears fell again.

Cale jumped up, rushing over to her, taking her face in his comforting hands. "Hey, hey, hey." his giant brown eyes were full of concern. At 14 (almost 15) he had just begun to get a little stubble on his chin. After so many years, it still surprised her how much he looked like their father. Puppy dog eyes, shaggy brown hair; every last detail was identical. "Your fine."

"Why is this happening to me?" she looked up at him with her now large, puffy red eyes.

"I don't know, Griff." he shook his head. "But hey." he smiled hopefully. "Stop crying! You can't be sad on your birthday!"

Griffin smiled at this along with him. Cale never forgot her birthday; not once! Mostly because his was the day after her's, but also because they were always excited, that for one day a year, they could be the same age.

Cale held out a small, pink, rectangular box with a happy yellow ribbon on top. "Go on, Loo." he chuckled. Calling her 'Loo' was something reserved for only her brothers and father. When she was born, Cale was only a year old and couldn't say 'Griffin' so he just simply said 'Loo' and it sort of stuck. "Open it. And if you don't like it, I could always just tell you what Rider got you. It may make me feel like a better and more responsible brother."

Griffin giggled and carefully opened the little box. Inside, hidden by two thin pieces of cream colored tissue paper, was a silver locket. The engraved sculpt on the front was made to look like an intricate compass rose. In the center were three birthstones, no doubt representing the three children. A red Garnet for Rider (the eldest of the three), January. A leafy green Peridot for me, August. And a piercing blue Sapphire for Cale, the first day of September.

She unlatched the locket. On the inside was a clock with Roman Numerals for the numbers. But on the other side was a picture of the three siblings on their trip to Lake Erie on the 4th of July. They were standing on a deck on top of a hill, over looking the lake, a bright red firework exploding behind them.

"It was mom's." Cale said quietly. "Dad gave it to her the day you were born. I had to change the picture - "

He didn't have time to finish his thought. Griffin wrapped her skinny arms around his shoulders. "Thank you." she whispered.

SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SP N-SPN-SPN-SPN

The morning was rushed. The bus had pulled up by the time Griffin was just pulling her shirt on. She flung her bag over her shoulder, left the room hastily without checking her appearance, and hurried out the front door. She boarded the school-bus and tried to scurry down the aisle but was caught by a tight grip on her for-arm.

"We've been over this," the driver growled in an angry voice. "The next time your late I'm gonna leave your sorry ass behind. Now sit down!"

Griffin narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that he was NOT supposed to use that language or even touch a student. She hated the guy. He was always a jerk to her and her brother, Rider. But that may have had to do with her tying his shoe-lace to the brake pedal lat year after he gave Rider detention for wearing a hat. She smiled with satisfaction at this; they both knew she was smarter and definitely more cunning than he was.

She took a seat next to her best friend, Tate Michelson, who just stared at her with raised eye-brows and a devilish smirk.

"What?" she scoffed.

"Any ideas for further retaliation?" he grinned.

"I'm thinkin'."

"Well think fast!" he said quickly before tossing a bag at her. She smiled widely when she saw the bag was full of strawberry candies. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks Tate." she nudged him with her elbow.

"Hey I also finished the script!" he said happily, retrieving a stack of pages from his book-bag.

"No way!" she grinned with delight, grabbing the bundle from his hands. "It's only been a week!"

"Yeah, well soccor's over so I've had some extra time on my hands."

"Do you have your camera?" she asked.

"Never go anywhere without it." he patted the front pocket of his bag. "Wanna go to the park and film after school?"

"Of course!" she said, reading the first couple of pages. "So who am I?"

"I'm not sure yet. If Olivia won't do it, your gonna have to be the bitchy skank who dies first." he chuckled.

"My specialty." Griffin said, popping a strawberry into her mouth.

"No kidding." Tate laughed before being punched playfully in the arm.

SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SP N-SPN-SPN

School was the same. Not paying attention, clocks that never seem to move after 45 minutes. By 7th period, Griffin was sort of out-of-it. She usually seemed not to mind school so bad, but today something just didn't feel right. The day passed and her and Tate left the building, right after the final bell.

"Rider!" Griffin called catching up to her older brother. "Hey, tell the Lord of the Dicks I'm not coming home on the bus today."

"Why? Where are you guys going?" he questioned with his 'I really don't care' look.

"The park. Tate just finished the script so we're gonna start shooting."

"Sounds lame."

"Whatever. It beats Halo 4 and Funions." she retorted smiling.

"Don't be dissin' Master Chief." he snickered as his sister walked away.

"Master Chief sucks ass!"she called over her shoulder.

"I'm telling dad you said ass!" he joked.

Griffin smiled. Her brothers were the best.

Griffin ran through the trees, her bloodstained face aching and sore. "Help!" she cried, tears spilling out of her eyes. "Someone! Please!" she couldn't see it. The branch. It poked out from the leaves but managed to camouflage itself under the brush. She tripped and plummeted to the earth in a painful heap. Her pursuer emerged from the trees, holding the knife. His hidden face felt malevolent and the experience reminded her of her dream the night before. The whole thing suddenly felt...real. She let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Cut!" Tate grinned from behind his tripod. "Perfect! Gary, not so quick next time. Griffin...nice scream." he complimented.

"Thanks." she smiled, whipping away a droplet of corn syrup from her chin. Gary pulled off his hoodie and frowned at Tate.

"I wouldn't have gone so fast if you hadn't made me wear this stupid thing in the first place. If I wasn't in a rush to get this over with I would've slowed down! It's gotta be like 112 degrees out here!"

"Try 79 degrees, Gary." Griffin taunted checking her iphone for the temperature.

"I doesn't matter!" Tate jumped up and down like a child with candy. "It was perfect. There's no chance in hell we won't win this year!"

Suddenly, Griffin's phone let out it's Beethoven's Fifth ring tone which could only mean one thing; Rider.

"Yep?" she answered.

"Hey, I'm on my way home. Cale and I are gonna pick up some pizza. You need a ride?"

"No, I can walk. We're only a few minutes from the house."

"Okay. Dad should be home. You'll probably get there before we do." he paused and Griffin could hear Cale talking in the background. "Well, stop being a little bitch!"

"Thanks, Rider." she acted hurt, but with sarcasm.

"Not you. Cale's just-" there was some rustling. "Ow! Let go of the...yeah well it's my car you little douche! Sorry, Griff. You better head home. We'll be there soon."

"K." she said laughing and hanging up.

"Gotta go?" Tate asked, looking a little deflated.

"Yeah," she started to say something else witty, but decided against it.

"Alright. Film tomorrow?"

"Maybe. Rider may take me to the shooting range tomorrow after school, so...we'll see. I'll text you." she said and with that, she strode down the street.

The house was dark. Quiet. Looming there as if it was trying to hide. Griffin had never noticed how simple it was. How anonymous. She tromped up the cement stairs on the back porch and fiddled with the key.

Weird, she thought. Why would the door be locked if dad was home?

As soon as she stepped inside, it was clear something was amiss. There was a line of salt on the floor, right in front of the door.

"What the?" she whispered to herself when she realized the same mysterious lines of salt were in front of the windows too.

"Dad?" she called. "Dad, you home?" she tiptoed through the dinning room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a dark red splotch in the beige carpet of the living room. Her heart jumped into her throat. She took a cautious step forward, grabbing the letter opener that sat on the cluttered dinning room table; they always ate on the coffee table in front of the tv.

She kept a quiet and slow pace. Another red stain. This one much larger, but that wasn't what caused her eyes to widen in fear. It was the hand next to it. The hand was connected to an arm, the arm to a body.

Her father lay sprawled on the floor, his head resting in a pool of his own blood.

"DAD!" Griffin cried, dropping the letter opener and falling to her knees next to her father. "Omigod! Dad!" he was still alive (barely), breathing rapidly.

"Griffin?" his eyes locked with hers.

"Dad, I'm gonna call for help!" she tried to jump up and run for the phone, but he grabbed her arm to keep her right where she was.

"Listen closely. Griffin, tell me my name." he said.

"What?" she asked, shocked. Her dad was dying and he didn't seem to care.

"I want you to say my name."

"David Blackly." she breathed between sobs. "Dad what happened?"

"My name is not David Blackly." he said, Griffin stared at him in horrified confusion. "Listen Griff. I knew I couldn't protect you kids forever, so I guess now you need to know."

"Know what dad?" she whimpered.

"My real name is...ah." he struggled, blood spilling into his other hand from what appeared to be a knife wound. "My name is Samuel Winchester."

"What?" she asked, knowing there was barely any time left for him.

"I said listen. Not talk." he groaned with the effort. "They are gonna come for you. You and your brothers aren't safe here anymore. Remember this name; Gerald McBray. Address: 314 East Elm, Lillian, Ohio. He can help. Promise me you'll find him."

"Dad, I-"

"Promise me!"

She couldn't believe all of this was happening. Her mind reeled and she let out a shaky breath. "I promise."

Without another word her fathers bloody head sank down, eyes rolled back. Breathing stopped.

**Okay so this was my first attempt on writing on this website, so let me know what you thought. I'm open ears and another chapter will be coming soon so don't think this is an isolated event:) Happy to hear from anyone.**

**-Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Trying to update quickly. Did the whole thing with Sam being their dad come as a surprise, or was it kind of expected? Let me know. And Thank you all for the awesome reviews! Keep 'em coming...the make me happy :)**

**Chapter Two**

Griffin sat in the lonely corridor with her knuckles holding her head up. Her brothers were having a lively conversation with the doctor. She could over hear every word of it, but still, she stayed silent, staring at nothing.

"A coma?" Rider sounded as if the doctor had just slapped him in the face with a piece of meat. "How long is he gonna be out?!" he shouted.

"Mr. Blackly, your father is lucky to be alive. He lost a lot of blood and he may be this way for some time." the doctor said calmly. "We can't expect him to wake up anytime soon, but please control yourself."

"He's gonna be okay though, right?" Cale spoke in a squeaky voice, obviously trying not to cry.

The doctor gave him a sad look. "We can't be certain." he said grimly. Griffin jerked her head up. Did he just say what she thought he said? "We must be patient. These things take time."

The boys nodded, even though Rider still looked like he wanted to stab a puppy. "Now, about the girl," the doctor indicated Griffin with his head. "She's been through a lot. Do you kids have any place to go? Any relatives that you can stay with?"

Rider shook his head in reply. "No."

The doctor sighed. "Then we may have to arrange-"

"No!" Rider shouted, causing Griffin to snap to attention. "I can take care of my own siblings! We don't need-"

"Mr. Blackly! Please, calm yourself!" the doctor snapped.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Rider growled. Boy, did he have a temper on him.

"Stop!" Griffin stood up finally, her fists clenched. She had no idea where she was going with this. The stares and the pressure finally became too much. She ran past them, down the hall and out the door.

SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SP N-SPN

The air was cool, more so than she expected. Griffin hugged her bare arms, her mind feeling fuzzy. She had not yet told anyone about what her father had said. She didn't know for sure if her dad was just rambling on, last strike nonsense or if he actually expected her to drive halfway across the country to find this man who may not exist.

But she had to be sure. She pulled her father's cell phone out of her pocket; she had swiped it from the crime scene before the police arrived...just in case. Griffin scrolled through the contacts to the Gs and stopped when it read. G.M.-I.C.E. She was astonished that it was really there. Before thinking, she hit SEND.

It rang three, four, five times and she was just about to hang up and leave this mystery to rot when-

"Hello?" a gruff and obviously hung-over voice answered. Griffin was shocked. She knew she should probably say something but found that she couldn't. "Hello? Who is this?"

She had no idea why, but tears began to fall down her face. "Is this Gerald McBray?" she murmured, her bottom lip quivering. There was a pause.

"Who is this? Where's Sam?! How did you get this number? I swear if you hurt him or his chil-"

Griffin slammed the phone shut, the world stopping around her. Whoever this man was obviously knew her father. Well not her _father _father, but the man her dad had kept hidden from her and her brothers. Then it dawned on her. Maybe he kept it hidden from her mother too. At this, she touched the locket around her neck that she had received earlier that day from Cale.

She apparently had no idea who her dad really was. She didn't know who this Gerald guy was. All she knew was that she needed to find him. Fast.

SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SP N-SPN-SPN

The station was bustling. People streamed in and out making the world seem as if someone had hit fast-forward. Griffin sat alone, contemplating her next move. She had decided, outside of the hospital, that she would go to find this man, but had no idea how. She hadn't told her brothers and it had been over an hour since she left so it was obvious that they'd be freaked. Griffin thought of calling Tate, but shook that idea from her mind. He wouldn't understand. Her phone had rung four times, but she couldn't answer. She knew the moment she did, she'd leave this stupid idea behind and return home, never to uncover who her father truly was.

"GRIFFIN!" her head snapped up like a shot. Her eyes widened as she saw her brothers rushing toward her, Rider almost mowing down an elderly woman in the process. Well shit, she thought.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Rider's face was knotted with anger. Griffin had underestimated there hide-n-seek skills. "WELL?"

"I-uh." she had no idea what to say. This was never supposed to happen. She was supposed to hit the road alone, but now she knew that that was just wishful thinking. "Dad told me something, before he uh...went all coma-ie." she sputtered trying to say what she needed to, but finding it way too difficult.

"What kind of 'something'." Cale asked, clearly more calm (and rational) than Rider.

"He...um...he told me to find someone." she stated, tears stinging the edges of her eyes. The boys shared an unsure glance. "He also said his name wasn't really David Blackly."

"What?" Rider interrupted. His face grew grim making Griffin uncomfortable. He didn't believe her.

"I'm telling the truth! He said to find a man named Gerald McBray...in Ohio."

The siblings stared at each other for a long moment before Cale broke the silence.

"I think we should check it out." he said. Both Griffin and Rider gave him a surprised look. "What? I'm just saying, we've got nothing left here. No family, and I know you'd do anything to miss school Rider. What have we got to loose? And if this guy really exists-"

"He does." Griffin explained. "He's real, I already checked."

"Well then okay." Cale smiled at Rider.

"No." he said shaking his head obnoxiously. "No, we're not going to Ohio. We're staying right here and waiting for dad to pull out of his coma."

"And if he doesn't?" Cale growled darkly. Something inside of Rider snapped. Something ignited and he shoved Cale hard.

"Don't say that." he barked. "Don't you ever..."

"Well, I'm going." Griffin stated, eyes glued to the ground.

"What?" Rider challenged.

"I said I'm going to Ohio, I'm gonna find this guy, and I'm gonna figure out what the hell is going on!" she erupted with anger. Not once had she ever been so mad at Rider, ever. Without another word, Griffin strode quickly away, leaving her brothers to their arguing.

Cale didn't say anything, and neither of them looked at each other. There was nothing to be done. Cale turned on his heel and followed his little sister.

Rider stood, watching his siblings go and his heart clenched. He loved those two and it was his job to keep them safe, but he couldn't possibly do that if they were 700 miles away.

"Wait!" he called and both Cale and Griffin turned to face him. "My car has XM."

**Sorry for the short Chapter. Defiantly better next time, I swear. We just needed a story-propeller. So don't loose interest, there's cool stuff coming up! Reviews are much appreciated.**

**-Thanks :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. **

**Chapter 3**

She was running. The sick stench of rotting corpses filled her nose and lungs, making her feel as though she was going to vomit. They were all around her; the dead. Lying in piles on the ground. Her heart ached for them. All they did was help her, and now they paid the price.

She couldn't run any longer, her legs gave out and she fell. The things gathered close to her worn body, gnashing their horrible teeth.

"I've waited a long time for this." The man spoke his eyes falling upon her tattered figure curled in a ball on the grass. "A long, long time." he grinned devilishly down at her, raising the gun.

Think, think, _think! _she screamed to herself. Then she saw it, a dark shadow looming just in the tree line.

"So, that's it?" she growled, smiling. "No big speech? Ceremony?"

"No." he sighed. "If I did that, I would just give you more time to formulate a plan." he cocked the gun. "Your a tricky one. I know you."

"You don't know shit." she spat.

"I don't?" he smiled pleasantly. "Well, I know your date of birth. I know your a cunning little bitch. And I also know, this gun is the only damn thing in the universe that can kill you."

He pulled the trigger. There was a bright light. And then...there was nothing.

* * *

"GRIFFIN!" a hand on her arm shook her awake. Her eyes opened with shock.

"What?" she asked sitting up in the back seat of Rider's car, realizing her throat was raw and her face wet with tears. _Shit_, she thought. Her brothers shared a worried glance.

"You were having a fit or something." Rider said looking at her in the rear-view mirror.

"She wasn't having a fit she was just..." Cale started but had no idea what to say. "Having a nightmare again."

_Dammit, Cale. _She scolded him in her mind.

"_Again?_" Rider barked. "You mean this has happened before?"

Cale gave a sympathetic look to her. "Yeah." he whispered. "A couple times."

"And neither of you thought to mention this?!" Rider growled, although he sounded more hurt than angry. It was his job to keep his brother and sister safe. To keep them from getting hurt. That's what big brothers were for and to see his baby sister like this...it broke his heart.

"We didn't think it was important." Griffin stated a little defensively.

"Not important." Rider repeated to himself, smiling sarcastically. "Whatever."

Cale shook his head returning to his book.

"Hey." Rider's eyes lit up. "We're in Lillian!"

The other two siblings stared at each other in surprise. The three of them had been in the car for over ten hours and were just itching to get out of the cramped car and away from each other for a while.

"What's the address again, Loo?" Cale asked optimistically.

"314 East Elm." she replied eagerly. She'd been waiting to find out the secret identity of her father's that he had hid from them their entire lives. She had conjured up multiple theories. Retired C.I.A. agent. Serial killer hiding from the F.B.I. However, Witness Protection Program seemed to make the most sense.

It took a matter of minutes for them to reach the correct house. It was a one story, brick. It reminded Griffin of a grandmother's house in the 70's. Bright red door. Yellow shutters. _Just horrendous,_ she smirked to herself.

"Well...you guys wanna come?" she said unsure.

"Of course." Cale turned to her, looking a bit offended. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Just wondering." she said before opening the car door and slamming it behind her. The boys got out and stretched their limbs.

"It's 10:45, are you sure anyone's awake?" Cale asked checking his watch.

"Lights are on." Rider smiled cheerfully.

"Yes, thank you M.O.T.O. Master of the Obvious!" Griffin snapped.

"Geez...no need to chew my head off, Loo."

"Sorry. I'm just-"

"Tired." he interrupted. "Yeah, we know your tired attitude."

They walked to the door in silence and Griffin hesitated before ringing the bell. The siblings waited awkwardly on the porch steps for a few minutes before she became impatient and banged on the door.

"Open up!" she called.

"Griff, relax." Cale rested a hand on her shoulder only for her to shake it of and turn to him, giving him a death stare.

"Dude," Rider nudged Cale with his elbow. "Never tell a girl to relax."

"Aw, shut up." Griffin scoffed before the door swung open. A man with brown hair and pale blue eyes stood there, beer in hand. He looked to be in his mid 20's. Handsome.

"Who the hell are you?" he squinted through the dark.

"I'm...um..." Griffin stuttered, not really believing that this would ever have happened. "Are you Gerald McBray?"

The man's eyes lit with realization. "You must be Sam Winchester's kids." he smiled a bit sadly, but a smile nonetheless. "Come on in."

The children exchanged a obvious look of 'ooookkkk...?' but followed the man into his tiny home. "You kids want a beer?" he asked walking toward the kitchen.

"I'll take one." Rider smiled, thinking he was funny.

"Rider!" Cale snapped.

"Me too." Griffin sighed, not at all joking.

"Anythin' for the princess?" The man smiled, handing a beer to Griffin and Rider and looking at Cale.

"Just water for me, thanks." he said rolling his eyes.

"Fine, be that way." he said grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. "So...what happened?"

The children stayed silent. The man stumbled to the living room and flopped down onto the couch.

"Now come on. I know your dad wouldn't have sent you here if there wasn't trouble." he took a swig from his beer can. "So what happened?"

"He was attacked." Griffin stated. "He's in a coma."

"I'm sorry to hear that." he said nodding. "He's a good man."

"D'you know who did it?" she asked, not taking her eyes away from him.

"Could be any number of things."

"Why'd he send us to you? He never mentioned a Gerald." Rider questioned, taking a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of the room.

"Well, sweet heart." he mocked. "That's cause my name ain't Gerald." he took another swig.

"Then who are you?!" Griffin growled.

"The name's Ben Braeden." he smiled. "Welcome to hell."

* * *

The doors swung closed in front of her. She tried and tried, but it seemed as if they were never meant to be opened. The annoyingly loud buzzing of the florescent bulbs above sputtered and died along with the light. She turned hoping he wasn't there.

But hope can only do so much.

The figure stood still at the end of the long corridor, not moving, not breathing either. The school was abandoned and there was no chance anyone would be coming to her rescue. She had to act. Fast.

She grabbed a broken metal chair that lay dormant on the floor next to her. She threw it at the glass as hard as she possibly could. The door shattered in a downpour of angry shards. But to her surprise and confusion, the door became solid again. _Shit._

She turned and it became clear that she could not escape. They were all around her. The shadowy figures of her own reflection. All had her face, hair, eyes; everything. Except one.

Her father stood in front of her, smiling with red eyes.

"You can't fight it." he grinned devilishly. "You'll become what you are destined to, Griffin."

"Go to hell." she muttered.

"Oh, don't you see?" his eyebrows furrowed in mock confusion. "There is no _hell_ anymore. It's all the same. It's all around us. Everything you see," he paused, laying a large hand on her shoulder. "You're just like us. You will be like us. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

Then, something incredible hit her. Something she had never realized before. And she knew exactly how to use it.

"There's one difference, though." she looked up into his eyes, his tall figure looming over her like a skyscraper. "There's one thing you forgot."

"Hmm..." his eyes narrowed in frustration, "What would that be?"

Griffin smiled. "You're in my dream, you stupid sonofabitch." suddenly, she held out her palm and the room filled with light.

* * *

Griffin awoke that morning, calm and collected. She remembered her nightmare vividly, but noted that it had not made her wake in a horrible fit like it usually did.

Cale was asleep on the couch on the other side of the room. They had spent the night at Ben's house on account of his "I'll take you to see _him _tomorrow," speech. Rider was already up and staring straight ahead from a rocking chair deep in thought.

"Rider?" Griffin whispered, careful not to wake Cale. He did not respond. "Rider?"

He blinked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, but not making any effort to answer.

"Rider? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he said bluntly. "It's just..." he shook his head. "I can't explain it. Something just feels..._weird."_

Griffin noticed the bags under his eyes, the worn down body language. She had never once seen her brother this way, so...distant. He was seventeen and had not ever looked so vulnerable.

"Have you been up all night?" she asked, lifting herself from the mountains of pillows and blankets that created a makeshift bed on the floor and walked over to his side. He did not answer. "Rider?"

"I said I was fine." he barked.

"Hey, kiddos!" Ben hopped down the stairs, dressed and not at all hungover which was a surprise considering all he had to drink the night before. "Rise and shine!" he chucked a couple pillows at Cale who jumped up a little.

"What?" he said groggily.

"Time to go!" Ben smiled, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go! There's someone I want ya' to meet. Come on! Chop chop!"

The siblings groaned but collected their things and got dressed. They piled into Ben's '69 Chevy camaro and were off.

"How far away is this guy's house?" Cale asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"About 45 minutes, maybe an hour." Ben replied, cranking up 102.3 on the radio, which was, apparently a classic rock station, because Griffin recognized Eric Clapton's awesome guitar riff on Layla. She grinned. Her dad had always hated it whenever her and Rider cranked AC/DC or Kansas on their stereo in the basement.

She focused her attention out the window, trying as hard as she could not to think of her father or the strange things he told her in her dream that night.

The trip didn't take as long as Ben had said. They were there in less than a half hour. She also realized that he had neglected to mention that they weren't at a house, but a crummy motel. "You three go," Ben said. "Room 17, I'll get your bags."

The siblings shared an unsure glance then practically jumped from the car. Rider led the way while Cale dragged behind; head down, hands in his pockets.

Rider knocked timidly, not knowing what to expect. It took only a second for the door to fly open.

"Listen lady, I don't -" a man in his mid 40's said gruffly then stopping abruptly, eyes widening. It was clear why. He was an older clone of Rider. Same hair. Same eyes. Same chiseled features. Same dark stubble under his chin. Practically even the same clothing.

The man's blue eyes darted from Rider to Griffin and back again.

"Uh...look." he said with a joshing smile. "Whoever your mom is, tell her I'm sorry, but I'm not paying for child care or anything. So...uh-" he trailed off as Cale walked up behind his sister. The man stared at him for an extremely long moment before whispering. "Oh, my god."

"Um...sir?" Rider cleared his throat.

"Your Sam's kids?" he smiled, tears creeping from the corner of his eyes. The three of them shook their heads 'yes.' "Wow. Um...Hi. I'm...uh. I'm Dean." he held out his hand to Rider. "I'm your uncle."

**Ok so...lemme know what you thought. There's more commin' so don't stop reading. Its gonna keep getting more and more weird. Do you guys remember who Ben Braeden is? I hope so, otherwise the whole Ben thing would have been awkward:) Reviews are always appreciated.**

**-Thanks:D **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews! Please keep reading! I'd be kinda sad if you didn't. :)**

**Chapter 4**

_Two Years Later..._

The frosty earth crunched beneath the soles of Griffin's shoes, making her feel out of place in the frozen wilderness around her. She held the riffle close to her hip; low but ready. Her brothers and Dean were nearby, she knew, but still, she felt lonely. Distant.

She heard a twitch and snap of a branch and stopped in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat and she purposefully slowed her breathing. Another twig. Then a growl.

Griffin smiled. She loved the hunt.

She turned swiftly on her heel and hoisted the gun to her eye to take aim.

But aim at what? There was nothing in sight.

Suddenly, there was a loud whoop and a growl from above. Her head shot up, but saw nothing for a large creature landed on top of her, knocking her to the ground.

_Well shit. _

The beast clawed at her throat and torso. Griffin let out a sharp cry of pain, holding her arms over her head to protect her face and neck, just as Dean had taught her, but she needed to get out of there before her arms were torn to shreds. She glanced around for her gun. It sat dormant covered in freshly fallen snow next to a tree...a tree that was a good 6 feet away.

_Of friggin' course!_

She curled her knees up to her ribs in an attempt to keep the thing from tearing her intestines out and snacking on them like sausages. Griffin gathered up all of her strength and energy and kicked the monster off of her body. As soon as she was free she scrambled to her feet and limped to her gun (only now realizing how badly the creature had torn up her right leg). She scooped the weapon into her shaky grasp and swung herself around to face the thing, but before she could fire a single shot she paused in confusion. It wasn't a werewolf, or a skinwalker as Dean had suspected.

_What the hell?_ she thought.

The Smilodon snarled its awful eight inch fangs and weaved its massive body in a careful pace, not releasing Griffin from its gleaming, soulless gaze as if it could see straight into her. See her soul and tell exactly what she was thinking. _A friggin' Smilodon! _she screamed in her mind. A Smilodon was another term for "Saber-toothed Tiger" and hell, they'd been around for friggin' _ever. _Most people thought they'd been extinct which was almost true. They were very rare, even for hunters. But man...they were deadly.

But right now, Griffin couldn't waste time thinking of how terrified she was on the inside. She had to focus. That was key.

She breathed, took aim and fired. Missed.

_Dammit, Griff! _she scolded herself._ What the hell's wrong with you?_

She shot again, but the thing dodged the oncoming bullet. Her heart sank. She just had to take the friggin' double barrel. She reached her hand slowly into her coat pocket, her heart stopping upon the realization that her ammo was in the front pocket of her back-pack. Her back-pack was in the truck.

The Smilodon came barreling towards her, full speed. Griffin tossed the gun aside hurriedly and pulled her combat knife from her boot. The same combat knife that her older brother, Rider had given her two years prior on her fourteenth birthday. She'd kept it and used it on every hunt because she loved how, even before the were tracking down monsters and demons, her brother still wanted her to be a badass. But right now, against this huge beast, it was about as useful as a slinky. The creature tackled her, ripping the side of her neck wide open and doing the same to her arms and torso.

* * *

Cale crept silently forward, snow flurries landing primly on his delicate eyelashes. No sound filled the air and that struck him as odd. He'd been hunting for almost two years now, and although he'd never been this far north, knew that couldn't be right. Something was up.

Suddenly, his brother Rider emerged from the frosty pine in front of him, startling him like a little bunny.

"Sorry." Rider smiled, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Dude, I could've shot you!" Cale grinned, relaxing a bit. Still, his nerves were on edge.

"Where's Dean? We should go. There's nothing out here!" Rider brushed angrily passed his little brother.

"You mean...you haven't found _anything?"_

"What? Why?" Rider glared at him. "Did you?"

"Well, not stone cold proof, but I did find some-"

Cale was cut off by a blood curdling scream from the direction Rider had just come. The brothers shared a horrified glance before taking off toward the awful cry. Cale's feet had a mind of his own. He'd never been a runner. Not like Rider was. His chest pounded in refusal, but he kept running. He knew his sister was in trouble, maybe even dead.

_No!_ he screamed at himself. _NO!_

The brothers entered the clearing and what Cale saw, made his heart freeze and plummet into his stomach. The thing, the creature, had pinned his sister to the earth and was ripping her to pieces.

"Griffin! No!" Rider cried, firing four shots into the beast without thinking twice. Their Uncle Dean broke through the trees just in time to do nothing, but see the Smilodon fall sideways to the ground dead. No one said a thing. Rider and Cale just sprinted to their sister's body which was writhing in waves of pain. Her wounds were more severe than either of the boys had imagined. There was a bone deep claw mark on her waist and leg and a large slash running from behind her ear down to her breast bone. Cale put a hand to her tattered throat in a futile attempt of applying pressure.

"Rider?" Cale asked in a hushed and panicky voice. "Rider, I-"

"Cale!" he snapped, not taking his eyes from Griffin's face. "I know exactly what your thinking, but right now, I need you to run back to the truck as fast as you possibly can. Grab my cell from my pack and call for an ambulance." he said, Cale shook his head 'yes,' with tears streaming down his now pale face. "I meant now, Cale! GO!"

He jumped up like a bullet and ran back toward the truck.

Rider tried to keep his head, but seeing his baby sister like this, in so much pain...it almost became unbearable. He blamed himself. She was his _baby _sister! He was supposed to watch out for her, to protect her and keep her safe. He'd failed. He'd failed her and now she was probably about to...no. He couldn't go there right now. He had to stay focused. Griffin's life depended on it.

Dean crouched down next to him, steadying his nephew with a hand on his shoulder. "Rider..." Dean started realizing the fear on Rider's tear stained face.

"Shut up." Rider growled, a sob raking his entire body. "We'll...we'll carry her. Back the truck..."

"She's losing to much blood. If we move her, she'll..." It was impossible for Dean. It had only been two years since he'd met the three of them, but...all he saw in them...even in Rider who was practically his younger self, all he saw in them...was Sammy. He couldn't loose her. He couldn't loose any of them because if he did...it would just further his pain of loosing Sam. He knew his brother was in a coma and not dead, but he might as well have been.

Those three rugrats were all he had besides than Ben and his crew, but dammit... those three _were_ Sam. They were Sam's children and if he'd go to hell the very next day, he'd keep them safe.

* * *

"You're it!" the child cried, running through the trees whose branches grabbed at her like hands. "Nat's it! Nat's it!"

The older girl, Natalie, sprinted behind her sister, chasing her because the 'rule' of the game made her 'It'. "I'm gonna getcha!" she called. Natalie loved these childish games with her little sister. It took her back to a time when she herself was small and young and full of life. She needed the release now more than ever though. Her best friend, Chloe, had disappeared a few weeks ago without a trace. The police had reached the assumption that she had been murdered and that had thrown Natalie over the edge. Her sister helped her get through it thank god. She'd kept her mind off of it by making her play games like hide-n-seek and tag.

"You will not!" the girl squealed in a reply of giggles.

"I wi-" was all she piped out before her voice vanished. The younger one, Bella, who was still a good 15 yards away, turned back in shock. Her sister's retort had gone unfinished.

"Nat?" she called out, rubbing her gloved hands together. "Natalie?" Bella trumped back toward where she thought her sister was. "Nat, you know I hate when you try to scare me!" she circled around a pine tree and saw a most horrific sight. She let out a terrible scream before turning and darting towards her house.

* * *

The light above her was blinding. Her eyes felt as if they were being stabbed so she shut them immediately and let out a horrible groan.

"Griffin?!" someone shouted squeezing her hand to their chest. "Griffin! Are you okay?!"

_Cale. _she smirked to herself.

She squinted a bit, trying to get her eyes to adjust. Once they did she could see him clearly. The shaggy hair, the huge brown eyes, the tiny cleft in his chin. He looked exhausted, however.

"Jesus, Cale. You look like hell." she smiled rubbing her eyes.

Cale just smiled down at her. She was lying in a hospital bed, with all kinds of wires and gizmos attached to her and she could tell why. Her entire body felt like it had been burned or skinned.

"How d'ya feel?"

"Like I was thrown into a wood chipper then soaked in lemon juice."

"On a scale of one to stepping on a lego?" he smiled, calling to mind their father's measurement for levels of pain.

"Stepping on a lego, then stubbing your toe, then getting mauled by a friggin' saber." she grinned realizing how strange all of that sounded in the same sentence.

"Funny. Rider'll be back any minute." Cale sat back down in the chair next to her bed.

"Who's Rider?" Griffin asked.

Cale's face fell in terror. The doctor said there may be some severe memory loss or other technicalities. The thought of her not remembering Rider or Dean or anyone else was just too much to bear and tears began poking at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm just screwing with you, Cale." Griffin laughed, then winced on account of the pain that a single chuckle could bring.

"Bitch." he laughed along. "Not funny!"

"So, where'd he go?"

"To shower. He was here all week. Dean couldn't get him to leave or to sleep." his smile slid away a bit. "Ya' can't really blame him though."

_Week? Did he say week?!_

"How long have I been here?!" she asked sitting up way to fast. Her side stung like a bitch.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said, jumping up to ease her back onto her pillow. "Stay still! You've got some major stitching like, everywhere."

"Cale." she snapped. "How long have I been here!"

His head hung down and his shoulders slumped. His shocking resemblance to a puppy made her smile on the inside. The way his lanky limbs were too long and slender, and his hands and feet were so large and out of proportion.

"Almost a month."

Griffin's eyes grew to saucers. She'd been unconscious for a month?! She couldn't stand herself for making her family so worried and so freaked over whether she was going to wake up or become a sleeping hospital bill like their dad. But mostly, she hated feeling so vulnerable. She was the only girl in the family and other than a few of them in Ben's group, she hadn't had much female interaction. She hated how her brother's and Dean obsessed over her well-being and how they looked at her as something fragile that they needed to protect. She was sixteen for god's sake and had been involved in plenty of hunts and knew how to take care of herself! But it was Uncle Dean most of all. He'd gone out of his way to make sure she was safe. Sometimes he wouldn't let her come on a case if the victims were all girls or women. It made her angry that they thought she couldn't protect herself or that she was useless.

Thank god for Rider, though. He treated her like she was a bigger ass-kicker than Cale (which was only mostly true).

"What?!" she shouted sitting back up and this time ignoring the horrible pain at her waist.

"Easy!" Cale winced, placing a hand gently to her stomach and to her neck which she had just realized was all stitched up and hurt like a mother F-er. "Hang on. Lemme call Rider. I'll tell him your awake." he said, starting toward the door with his cell phone in hand. "I'll get the doctor too."

Once he was gone, Griffin sat in silence, playing with the funny blue tape that held her I.V. in place. A moment later the doctor came in. He was a balding man with a mustache and a hooked nose, making him look like a goblin from Harry Potter. He checked her vitals and some other stuff she didn't understand. Then he sat back and gave her a look of pure amusement.

"What a strange thing you are, dear." he smiled in genuine delight. She opened her mouth to reply with a snarky counter, but decided against it. "No memory loss, no nothing."

She internally rolled her eyes. _No nothing?_ He was a friggin' doctor talking like a moron.

"Soo...I'm okay?" she chipped up, trying to match his irritating tone. "Can I leave?"

"Well...after we run some tests. You've still got some pretty bad injuries, but they should heal up rather soon." he gave her another dumb smile and said goodbye once a nurse came in asking for his assistance.

She sat alone again until Cale came back this time with Rider who ran into the room and practically scooped her up from the bed in one of his 'big brother' hugs. He held her there for a long minute, not wanting to let go and her not ever wanting him to. She loved her brothers more than anything in the world and would do anything for them. She didn't even care that her stitches felt like they were on fire.

"I gotcha, kiddo." Rider said, stroking her hair and ignoring the warm tears that fell uncontrollably down his face. "I gotcha."

* * *

Griffin was released from the hospital within a few days. She was happy to be back, though her brothers' constant worrying was pushing her exasperation levels. Dean had found a case of a possible poltergeist in Pennsylvania and they planned to head out the next morning, considering that Griffin's condition was 'suitable for travel,' as Cale had put it.

She didn't sleep that night. She waited until the boys were all asleep before slipping on her denim jacket, a pair of boots and leaving the motel. It didn't take her very long to walk the six blocks to the library, which of course was locked due to the late hour. She picked it without a problem, checked to see if anyone was watching her, then hurried inside.

The inside of the library was only one small room with a long row of desks in the center, no doubt for the librarians.

Griffin tugged her mini flashlight from her pocket and shined it around, making sure she was alone before proceeding to the computers on the far left wall of the room. She sat down and turned the dinosaur on, jiggling her foot impatiently as it hummed to life.

As soon as the screen came up, Griffin pushed her brown waves from her face and doing a quick internet search on recent murders in search of the anything on the girl from the dream she had had whilst in her coma.

_Nothing._

She sighed. It had been a long shot anyway. Just before she turned off the monitor, she stopped and thought for a moment, then typed in;

_Missing Girl: Natalie_

A wall of news articles popped up from two weeks ago. Natalie Gardener. Age 17. Disappeared in the woods behind her family's property in Erie Pennsylvania. Six year old sister Bella reported seeing the trees take her sister.

Griffin raised her eyebrow. _Friggin' killer trees? _She clicked on a news story from the area and sat in shock as the familiar face of the girl Griffin had kept seeing.

_Well, _Griffin thought shaking her head._ I guess I can check it out tomorrow. _

With her new found information, she turned off the tower and headed back to the motel.

* * *

The drive wouldn't have been so bad if only Griffin had gone with Uncle Dean in his ancient Impala instead of with Rider and Cale. They spent the entire time arguing over music, then how the A.C. was barely working, then the lack of a working phone charger. And just when she thought it wasn't irritating enough, Cale had to go and comment on the smudged up windows which propelled another heated shouting match.

She just sat back, trying to catch a bit of shut eye. After last night at the library, she couldn't possibly go to sleep for a handful of reasons. One, she was terrified she'd have another night terror and that would worry her brothers and Dean. Two, she was too excited to start two separate cases with double the hunt. And above all, the bed smelled like cigarette smoke and dirty undergarments and she could only imagine what had gone on to make those scents.

Wesleyville was a small town by every definition. Children ran freely from place to place and there was only a general store, a gas station, a library, a tiny school building, another crummy motel, and a laundry mat.

Rider parked in front of the motel while Dean circled around, trying to find a parking space large enough to fit the Impala. Griffin hoped out and stretched her long legs and cracking her knuckles. The chilled late Autumn wind smacked her in the face the moment she closed the car door. She pulled the hood on her white winter parka up around her face and snuggled into the faux fur. Her heart pounded with excitement, although she hadn't mentioned the second case to anyone yet.

Of course she was going to, just after she herself had looked into it before Dean forbid her from going for some out-of-context reason. This was _her_ first case back in action and she just had to do it.

Rider checked them into the motel and grabbed his and Griffin's bags from the trunk, leaving Cale to fetch his own. Griffin rolled her eyes internally. She knew her brother was just trying to help, but honestly, it wasn't like she was bedridden and could not manage her own luggage. She took it from him, however as he opened the door.

The room was dark and quiet. Just like every other motel room in the entire country. But Griffin's heart surged when she saw there weren't only two beds, but _three. _Of course that would go to Dean, Rider would take the other, and her and Cale would have to share, but it was better than her, Cale, _and_ Rider as it usually went.

She tossed her bag to a corner and flopped face first sprawled unto the bed, with the accompanying "_ploof._" The ugly, but somehow homiest scent of cigarette smoke filled her lungs from the pillow.

"_Ahh_..." Rider smiled, breathing it in. "The sweet smell of prostitution." Griffin chuckled lightly into the pillow. Her brother was awesome, and he had just grown more and more awesome now that he was eighteen. Although, now that she'd thought about it, he looked like he was in his early twenties. Funny, what a little stress and monster hunting could do. Griffin then grimaced, only imagining how awful _she_ looked. She hoped up and grabbed her pack from the floor.

"I'm gonna hop a quick shower," she announced, rummaging through her belongings in search of a fresh change of clothes. "Then I'll head to the library and do some research."

"You want me to come with?" Cale gave her a hopeful smile.

"No, I'll be okay. You go scout out the area. Talk to some locals or something. I got this." she said, aching to get away for a bit and be on her own. Plus, she was hoping to get some work done on _her_ case. She glanced at Rider who fell onto the bed on the other side of the room and had pressed a pillow over his face with a stifled _'mmph' _"Besides... this guy won't be much help in that department."

Cale looked a little disappointed, but nodded anyway.

"We also need to do a laundry run sometime today." Griffin added holding up her last clean shirt and heading off to the bathroom. She tore of her sticky sweaty clothes and turned the shower on, glancing at herself in the mirror. Her brown hair was dirty and mussed up like a fluffy halo. Her eyes had more bags than the "Glad" company. She scoffed and lumbered into the shower, letting the water entice her with its warm embrace.

When she was done, she put on a pair of jeans and her Abbey Road t-shirt of the Beatles and brushed out her tangled (and now wet) hair. Before either of her brothers or Uncle Dean could say anything, she grabbed her parka and hurried out the door with a "See ya' later guys. Call me if you need anything."

Once she left, the three guys exchanged a glance.

It was still freezing outside as Griffin strode down the icy sidewalk. Fall had gone by rather quickly as usual and winter dropped like a bomb with its snow and frost bitten annoyance.

The library was an old stone building, approximately three or four stories. Griffin shuddered. It looked cold and unpleasant. She bounded up the front steps and just as she reached for the handle on the large double-doors, it swung open.

A tall lanky boy with medium-shaggy dirty blonde hair who was around Griffin's age stood there with a pleasant smiled etched on his face that soon dwindled into a frown when he saw her.

_Oh, god. _she thought as she stared up into his familiar blue eyes.

"Griffin." the boy said with a confused smiled pulling up the corners of his lips.

The world seemed to swirl around her along with the onslaught of snow. Her heart twanged with nostalgia. Her throat felt tight like she couldn't speak, but somehow still managed to utter one singular word.

"..._Tate?"_

**Okkkkkaaaayyyy...so let me know what you think! Reviews are so very much appreciated and they make me wanna keep writing. Opinions are always welcomed as well as critiques and advice. Sorry it was so long too. Just wanted to get to a good _"What?" _moment. Hope I did!**

**-Thanks! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for the reviews!**

**Chapter 5**

"Wow. Griffin Blackly...huh." Tate's smile stretched from ear to ear. His eyebrows were still furrowed in a frown and along with the smile seemed to make Griffin down right uncomfortable. Her gaze went everywhere it seemed but his face. She felt embarrassed or ashamed. He'd been her best friend since she was young and now here he was, standing in front of her at a library in a town she was investigating with her family in.

_Investigating! _her mind snapped back to attention remembering that she had a job to do, but dammit, she'd missed Tate.

"Hi." she squeaked, hoping that her flushed face made her look cold instead of timid.

"Wow." he repeated, loosing the frown and flashing his teeth. "Well, uh...It's uh...it's been a while."

"Yeah." Griffin agreed in complete shock. This was not something she had ever expected to happen on a job. "How, uh..." she cleared her throat, shoving her hands into her pockets and rocking back on her heels. "How've you been?"

"I've uh, I've been good." he smiled down at her. Just then, Griffin realized how much could happen in two years. Tate had grown, his voice had gotten deeper, his chin had begun to stubble. He was almost a man now. And what did that make her? She still thought of herself as a kid, but a very mature, very badass monster killing kid. Maybe it was just because that's how her family treated her.

A gust of cold wind swirled around the two and Griffin noticeably shivered.

"Jeez," Tate said, hoping down the step to her level and draping a protective arm around her shoulders. "You look freezing. Come on. There's a little coffee shop around the corner."

She took a few steps with him before pulling herself out of her thoughts. She had work to do. She couldn't go around sipping coffee with old friends when there was business to take care of.

"Uh, I can't." she wriggled free from his arm. "I've got..." where was she going with this? "I've got some very important stuff to do."

Tate's face lit up and he chuckled. _Very important stuff? _she scolded herself. _ What are you...Santa Claus?_

"Come on, Griff. Let me buy you a coffee." he could see the reluctance growing on her face. He leaned in close to her and whispered softly into her ear. "You disappeared for two years without so much as a friggin' phone call. I think you can let me get you some coffee."

He pulled away to look at her stone cold expression, but she nodded dumbly and walked with him to the coffee shop.

It was a snug little cafe not far from the library and the moment she set foot inside, it was like a whoosh of heat filled her body and warmed her frozen figure. She felt snug and followed Tate more willingly to a tiny table for two. When she sat he'd asked her what she wanted and she had simply told him a hot chocolate. Griffin wasn't really a coffee person. He nodded and went up to the counter to order.

She didn't have long to conjure up some sort of story or explanation concerning the looming and unavoidable elephant in the room. She knew that he would ask about where she had gone for two years and what she'd been doing. _Oh, well my brothers and I found out that our dad was an undercover ex-monster hunter who has a brother nobody knew about. So, since we found him, we have been crossing the entire country investigating demon attacks and other paranormal phenomena because that's our job and we're just cool like that. _

Tate was back in a matter of mere seconds with their drinks. She took her cocoa from his hand and poured it greedily into her mouth. It had burned her tongue, but she kept it to her lips, attempting to stall as long as humanly possible.

"So," Tate smiled, whipping a drop of coffee onto his pant leg. "Decent whether?"

Griffin nodded, still gulping the hazardously hot liquid. Finally, her throat couldn't bear anymore and she had to set it on the glossy wooden table. She fussed with her wrist watch to keep from looking up at him.

"Griff?" Tate leaned in closer to her.

"Hmm?" she chirped with her mouth closed, eyes still on her hands in her lap. _Oh boy,_ she thought. _Here it comes. _She thrust her hand quickly forward for her drink, but it was snatched away at the last second.

"Griffin." Tate said curtly without a trace of a smile. Griffin averted her eyes. She'd never seen him this serious. "Start talking."

She shrugged her bony shoulders, still staring down at the carpet. "What do you wanna know?"

"Lets just start with where the _hell_ you ran off to!" he growled in a low whisper.

Griffin jumped a bit, startled by the urgency in his voice. She scolded herself for it. She was acting like a little bunny.

"Well, after...um, my dad, my brothers thought some time away would be better." she said, noticing just then how ridiculous it sounded. She'd been gone for too long for it to be "some time" and they had left home the exact day her father was put in the hospital, which seemed quite sketchy now that she'd thought about it.

"Bull shit." Tate snapped. "Your lying. I can tell. You have a good poker face, Griff. You always did. You can lie to teachers and your brothers, but you should know that it _doesn't work on me!_ You were gone two years! You left me like I was some old toy or something, Griffin!"

Griffin sighed. It was true. Tate knew her like he knew himself. All of her secrets were his. Every lie she'd ever told, he knew. Well, except the demon killing thing, that is.

"I want the friggin' truth! Dammit, I think I at least deserve that!"

"Okay!" she retorted, ending his irritating rant. "We went to stay with my dad's brother."

Tate's eyes narrowed, either in confusion or anger she didn't know."Your dad doesn't have a brother."

"Yeah, well...I didn't know either." she muttered. Her eyes widening when she realized she had said it out loud.

"So, your saying, that your dad had a _secret _brother that nobody knew about?"

Griffin nodded.

"And you're expecting me to believe you because...?"

"You do believe me." Griffin stated.

"Like hell I-" he stopped, letting his shoulders slump. She was right and he knew it. "So, what? Was it like Witness Protection Program and all that jazz?"

"Yeah." she lied through her teeth. "Sort of."

Tate shook his head as if he understood everything that she'd said. He set down her hot chocolate and ran a hand through his tufts of dirt blond hair.

"So, uh..." he glanced up at her quickly, then set his gaze back on the table. "What have ya been doing?"

_Hunting monsters, burning the bones of ghosts, and sending demons back to hell._

"Road trip." she smiled. _Half truth...not the same as a lie._

Tate's eyebrows flicked up in amusement. "Really?"

"Yep," she said, sipping her cocoa. "With my brothers and Uncle Dean."

"Fun." he chuckled.

"So...what about you? Why are you in Pennsylvania? Seems awfully far from Denver."

"Yeah, a while back my folks got some fancy teaching jobs up at the college so...here I am." he let out a loud sigh. "It kinda sucks." but was drowned out by Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water' that blared from Griffin's pocket. _Dean, _she groaned internally. She'd gotten a new phone a few months back and had set that for her ring-tone when he would call her. It seemed fit considering it was one of his favorite songs.

She flipped it open with a "Yeah?"

"Hey, Loo."

"Whaddya need?" she said, a bit too gruffly.

"Are you tired?" Dean asked, slightly amused. Griffin got the world's biggest temper when she was tired. Everyone knew it and because of the job they had, she was tired a lot.

"No..." she smiled a tiny bit. "Just...busy."

"Well, let me know what ya got."

"Nothing, I uh...didn't get to the library."

"Griffin, where are you?" his voice dropped into his overprotective uncle tone.

"I'm being held against my will by a group of vampires." she joked and she could hear Dean's tension drop from his body even over the phone. Tate gave her a look and she immediately regretted it. _Great, just one more thing I'll have to explain._"Coffee shop, but I'm heading over now."

"Oh, cool. Can ya get me a-"

"Nope." she announced before abruptly hanging up. She glanced at Tate for a moment before saying, "I...uh. I gotta go."

"Let me walk you home." he offered, his familiar smile stretching across his face.

"That's okay actually. I've got some stuff to do at the library." she gathered her coat from the chair and started to leave, but Tate grabbed her by the forearm, stopping her dead. He pulled her in close to him.

"Meet me here at 11:30 tonight." he whispered in her ear, sliding a folded piece of notebook paper into her jean pocket. Griffin's eyes darted to his in shock. _Okay...um, creepy._ But she nodded anyway. Tate gave her another tiny smile and left the cafe in a hurry. Griffin stood there, dumbfounded. What was it that Tate wanted to tell her? Could he possibly know the truth?! She shook that idea away from her thought. That would be ridiculous. _  
_

She slipped on her coat and headed to the library, leaving her hot chocolate on the table.

* * *

Rider sat on the bed playing his sister's electric guitar, not wanting to retrieve his own from the car. Cale was across the room, doing his research on the house they were investigating. Rider rolled his eyes.

"It's just a friggin' poltergeist. Why is everyone looking into it so much?" Rider asked, strumming the first couple of cords on T.N.T. "It's not like we haven't done this type of thing 2 million times."

But still, Cale clicked away on his laptop, ignoring his brother. Rider repeated his eye roll (this time with an added sigh) and set the instrument down next to the bed.

"Okay, fine." he stood and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Cale whirled around a bit angrily, pulling his reading glasses off of his nose.

"To talk to some locals about the house."

"So the bar?" Cale turned back to his computer. His brother was eighteen and he was drinking like some old war vet. No, he was drinking like Dean. Not to mention his _little_ sister had recently started in on scotch.

Rider waved him off with a "Yeah, yeah." and closed the door behind him.

Cale slumped in his chair, wondering what time anyone would be back. Sometimes he just wished that they could take a break. He wished they didn't have to travel all the time. He wished his sister didn't have to carry a 45 around tucked in the back of her pants. He wished his brother could be an eighteen year old instead of 25. He wished that they didn't have to grow up like this. He wanted a normal life. Right now, Griffin should be worrying about boys or test scores (even though the thought of his sister with a boyfriend kinda made him go into overdrive 'big-bro' mode). Rider should be looking at colleges and remembering that his 19th birthday was last weekend...that was the worst. Rider had no idea when his birthday was anymore. He'd simply still thought he was eighteen instead of nineteen. That just made Cale's heart break for his big brother. For him to have to grow up so fast and take care of him and Griff like they were his kids, it was just too much.

The door opened, snapping Cale from his thoughts as Dean strode in.

"Well," Dean gave him his 'oh great, this just got harder' smiles. "It's not a poltergeist."

"What?" Cale's brow furrowed in confusion. Dean tossed something his way, which he caught just in time to keep it from smacking him in the face.

"I found that in the house." Dean said dropping his double barrel on the bed and wriggling out of his leather jacket. Cale turned over the objects in his massive and clumsy hands. _A hex bag?_

"Witches?" Cale's eyes shot across the room. The last time they had had a run-in with witches, he was just about 16 and they'd put Rider in the hospital with a terrible case of swine flu. It was not something Cale was excited to hear.

"Yep." Dean tugged on a pair of dress shoes and pulling out his fake F.B.I. badge from his bag. "And I think they must have something to do with some disappearances up in Erie."

"Erie?" Cale repeated, his heart lifting a bit remembering their family trip there with their dad on the 4th of July a few years back.

"Yep. I might head up there in a few." he said, grabbing his 'cop suit.' "Actually, I should probably wait for the other two to get back."

"Well, Rider may be a while. He's probably chatting up some blonde bimbo." Cale chuckled.

"Really?" Dean gave him a look and Cale nodded. "Haha! That's my boy!" Dean thrust his fist in the air. Cale just smiled and turned back to the computer. He'd always known Dean and Rider were basically the same person. Even Dean and Griffin had a special relationship that Cale didn't have with his uncle. Sometimes he wished he wasn't so left out when it came to that sort of stuff, but on another stronger hand, Cale was glad that he was nothing like Dean. He was grateful to be like his father, and nothing, not even the fun (and almost happy) times with Dean and his siblings at a shooting range or other dysfunctional family bonding could ever change that.

* * *

Rider sat alone at the bar, drinking some funny tasting scotch and went over the case in his head. He pulled out his phone and decided to give Griffin a call to see what she'd found out, but just as he was dialing, someone gently tugged the phone from his hands.

"Hey," the female bartender gave him a devilish smile.

"Hey." Rider returned the greeting. She was about his height (in heels, anyway), and was wearing an inappropriately tight white t-shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun that allowed him to see her alluring brown eyes.

"I haven't seen you around." she said, actually curious, but flirtatious all the same.

"Just in town for a couple days." he said reaching to take his phone back from her. _If I had accidentally hit 'call' and Griffin could hear this conversation, she'd never leave it to die. _he thought with an internal chuckle.

"Who with?" the bartender asked, leaning her elbows on the bar.

"Just the family." he cooed. "My brother and sister." he avoided saying his uncle too, in order to keep from being asked how old he truly was.

"Ooo, well aren't they lucky. I'm Kym." she batted her too 'makeup-ed' eye lashes. It never hit Rider until just now that his little sister had never once in her entire life wore makeup. Sure, he knew she was really very pretty and that she could have boyfriends galore if she wanted to, but she never showed that she cared. He silently thanked god for that. He loved her with all his heart, but having to deal with her and her 'girl needs' on the road was bad enough. If it had been that _and _trying to keep the monkeys off of her, he might've snapped a long time ago.

"Incredibly." Rider replied, sipping his drink.

"Hey listen," Kym smiled placing another scotch in front of him. "On the house. And I get of at 11:00." she winked at him before strolling back to another costumer.

_Well._ thought Rider._ Guess I'm staying 'til eleven._

* * *

Griffin was at the library for two hours. She'd been skimming through articles about the disappearance of Natalie Gardener. Apparently she had been the third disappearance in two weeks. That was more than the town had seen since the 1980 when eight girls between the ages of 14 and 18 vanished without a trace.

She did some checking around and was astonished when her theory was proven to be accurate. The night the first girl, Chloe Darryl, 18, went missing just so happened to be the New Moon. Her uncle said that her body dissolved in the rain and was never seen again. The second, Mia Harbrook, 16, left her car deserted in the school school parking lot the night of the New Crescent. A fellow student reported seeing her dragged underneath the car, and when he went to help, she was nowhere in sight. Then there was Natalie. She disappeared while playing hide-n-seek with her little sister Bella who saw the trees take her.

Griffin had a pit in her stomach. Three strange disappearances on the the phases of the moon. _Sounds like ritualistic stuff to me. _

She didn't bother looking up anything on the other case and decided not to call Rider. _He's probably real 'busy' with that bimbo I heard him talking to when he butt-dialed me. _Griffin giggled to herself, packing up some notes she had written hastily and most likely won't remember what they meant.

She left the library quickly, noting that it was almost eleven o'clock. She had to meet Tate in a half an hour at someplace she'd never been.

* * *

He waited there for her. His mind rolling over and over again. He jiggled impatiently back and forth from foot to foot. She'd been taking too long. Maybe she wasn't coming. Maybe she was in trouble. Maybe-

"Tate?"

He whirled around to face her, her tiny frame obscured by the dim lighting of the alley behind the department store. She wore some jeans and a different jacket than earlier; this one was purple plaid. She shivered in her Ugg boots, her curly brown hair fluttering like ribbons or autumn leaves, blowing in the breeze.

"Griff." he said in an almost worried tone that made her uncomfortable. He strode toward her, wrapping his thin but sturdy arms around her shoulders. She didn't hug him back though; she simply just stood there, her hands clenched in her pockets. "I'm happy your here."

"You wanna tell me what the fuck this is about?!" she shrugged him off, hearing Dean's voice in her head snap 'watch your language!'

Tate stepped back, a bit hurt, but got down to business. "I, uh...needed to talk to you."

"And you couldn't earlier because...?"

"GRIFFIN!" he boomed, making her jump. He grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. "Listen! It's...important."

"Okay." she muttered, her voice cracking. Tate shook his head in recognition at the invitation to proceed.

"The night your, um, dad was uh..." he stuttered shifting his weight from foot to foot and looking everywhere but her face. "I uh, I left the park right after you did, you know. To catch up with you and talk through some new scenes and stuff, but...You must've taken a different route 'cause I got back before you did, and I-. I heard this noise coming from your house."

Griffin's eyes widened in shock or horror or a mixture of both. Her heart sank like a rock and she decided not to interrupt him to ask what the hell he meant. She knew he'd explain.

"I uh, knocked but no-one answered so I, you know. Took the key you guys hide in the grill and went inside. There was this man, well he wasn't really a man. He had these dark, weird eyes and I..." he trailed off leaving Griffin to smack him on the shoulder to pull him back to reality, even though he thought he was crazy. "He grabbed me and...marked me."

"He what?" Griffin scoffed in terror.

"He gave me this." Tate said, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a circular sigil burned into his skin on his wrist. The sigil had three arrows pointed toward the center, something Griffin had never seen before. "He said that you had one too." Griffin shook her head to indicate that she knew she didn't have anything like that anywhere on her body. "He said you had one on your soul."

Griffin felt as though all the air had been sucked from her lungs by a vacuum cleaner. She had to fight the sudden urge to vomit.

"He said that he needed you. Us. That we were special. That that was the reason for what he did to your dad." Tate rumbled off quickly, hoping that she could absorb it.

"No." she shook her head in disbelief. "_No."_

"Yes." Tate brushed her hair from her face. "You have nightmares?"

Griffin gave him a look as if he had just slapped her with a rubber chicken. _How? How could he possibly know that?! _

"See?" Tate grabbed her hands and held them tight in his own. "I know. I have them too. They seem, like too real and thats because they _are."_

"I have no clue what your talking about." Griffin squeaked out, knowing that he could see right through her tiny lie.

"Yes. You do. There's always this man, right? With funny looking eyes. He tells you stuff."

"No." Griffin growled curtly, even trying to make herself believe it.

"Come on, Griff!" Tate snapped, dropping her hands in frustration. "I know what you've been doing these last two years! I know your family isn't in the Witness Protection Program. You honestly thing I'd buy that?"

Griffin didn't respond. She just cast her dark green eyes down to her toes. _Well shit._

"Look. I know exactly what your family does. You hunt things?"

"You're crazy, Tate." she ran her hand through her brown curls, tears springing into her eyes.

"I'm not! You know exactly what I'm talking about! You hunt, what? Demons? Creatures? I know!"

"How could you possibly-"

"He told me! The man you dream about! Every time you close your eyes you can see him, right?" when she didn't reply, he let out and exasperated sigh. "Stop making this so friggin' hard, Griff."

"Okay." she said so quietly she wasn't sure he could hear her, but apparently he did because he nodded and gave her a smile. "You said he needed us? What for?"

"I don't know." he shrugged stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. "It obviously can't be good."

Griffin nodded her head, still a bit foggy on the topic, but she got the jest of it. "Is that everything?" she shivered, wanting more than anything to crawl into bed and forget this conversation had ever happened.

"For now." Tate replied. "Ya want me to walk you home?"

She shook her head 'no' and turned on her heel, ready to leave. However, before she could take another step, her heart had a huge lurch of nostalgia. She whirled back around and ran into Tate's arms, wrapping her own around his scrawny neck, letting her tears flow freely. She'd missed him. More than anything. He was the only remotely secure or stable thing in her life. She knew she could count on him. Trust him. The way she could count on and trust her brothers and now that he new the way she lived now, she didn't have to keep secrets from him. The trust could now be mutual.

* * *

Rider got home late that night. Around 2 a.m. Cale was pacing back and forth when he came in.

"Where've you been?" Cale asked in horror, rubbing his hands together and continuing to pace.

"The bar. Why?" Rider set his jacket on a chair. "What happened."

Cale snapped from his trance and ran both hands over his face. His worried expression becoming contagious.

"We can't find Griffin."

Rider's heart turned to stone and he froze. Not Griffin. Not his baby sister. He was out getting drunk and flirting with some hoe while his sister was god knows where, doing god knows what, with god knows who, most likely against her god damn will.

"What do you mean, 'you can't find her?'"

"She went to the library this morning, and she hasn't been back since!" Cale sat down on the bed, checking his watch every five seconds. "She won't pick up her damn phone. Dean went out looking and she's not at the library!"

"Okay." Rider said grabbing his coat up again.

"WAIT! Where are you going?!" Cale stood in shock.

"Where d'ya think?!"

Just then, the door burst open and Griffin strode inside. She looked like hell and didn't say a word.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Cale ran over to her as she sat awkwardly on the bed, Rider following close behind. She didn't respond. She just sat there, staring straight ahead. "Griff?"

"I uh-" she started but could not bear to finish. Rider knelt in front of her, cupping her hands in his own.

"What happened, Loo?" he cooed softly, seeing how she was a complete mess. Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She didn't say anything. She just fell into her older brother's protective arms.

Rider held her and rocked her back and forth as she sobbed. He didn't make her talk, as much as he wanted, no needed, to know who or what made his sister feel this way. He was supposed to protect her from everything he possibly could. He was supposed to be there for her whenever she needed him. His heart just shattered to see her like this; so torn up and hurt. He couldn't bear it.

Griffin snuggled in close to her brother's chest and let him attempt to soothe her. He stroked her hair gently and rubbed her back, they way he and her father did when she was little. She knew, for her brothers' sake that she shouldn't do this. She shouldn't come home crying and make them worry for her. And dammit, she hated herself for being so vulnerable. She _hated _it. More than anything in the world, she hated being seen as a fragile little girl who couldn't help herself or anyone around her. But right now, she could not give a rat's ass how people would see her, she just focused on the rise and fall of Rider's chest next to her and allowed herself to drift of into sleep.

That's when the true nightmares began.

**Ooooo...Let me know what you think! Review Review Review! Plleeaasse! Okay but just so you guys know, I will be gone next week at summer camp, so I cannot update for a while. But please don't give up on me or the story! I promise if I can't get another chapter in before I leave, I will post one as soon as I get back.**

**-Thanks! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews. I'm back from camp so I will be picking up on the writing. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

Griffin's screams seemed to shake the whole hotel room. She shook and groped at the sheets and pillows as she squirmed about the bed, a noise of total agony escaping from her lungs and out her lips.

This was the third night in a row she'd been doing this. Her entire body would lurch upward and she'd belt out a horrible cry of pain, and all Rider could do was sit in a chair on the other side of the room and watch as his baby sister was torn apart in her sleep.

The other day he had attempted to ask her what she was dreaming about that made her this on edge. She growled at him, told him to mind his own business, that she hated him, and that she didn't need or want him in her life before slamming the bathroom door in his face. Dean tried to lighten the mood by making a 'time-of-the-month' joke, but that just seemed to make Rider feel even worse. Cale wasn't much help either, since he and Dean bought another room. Sure, he felt sick seeing Griffin act this way too, but he knew there was nothing to do for her. He'd advised Rider not to wake her during these fits in case she lashed out or reacted violently.

So he just watched. Watched as she felt the pain no-one could possibly imagine. Watched as she cried and screamed out for someone to help her. Watched as his baby sister who he loved with every fiber of his being beg for an unknown assailant to stop. He didn't know what was happening to her. He didn't know the terror she felt inside her mind. But worst of all, he didn't know a way to make it stop. A way to make everything melt away. A way to cease her agony. He felt helpless. Useless.

Suddenly, Griffin began to repeat one word and it made Rider's eyes dart to her worn body. "Tate. Tate. Tate. Tate. Tate!" she yelled over and over again, making Rider want to lock himself in a dark room somewhere and cry until his eyes disintegrated. He knew who Tate was. Griffin's best friend from Colorado, where they grew up. Although he didn't understand why she was having terrible nightmares about him. "Stop! Tate, please!" she whimpered in her sleep. "RIDER!" Griffin cried, kicking her legs out violently. He jumped from his chair and ran over to her side, pulling her damp hair gently from her face. "Rider! Please! Don't leave me! RIDER!"

"I'm not gonna leave." Rider cooed softly into her ear, squeezing her hand more tightly than he should have. "I'll never leave you."

With that, she stopped screaming, but began to weep, making Rider's heart snap into pieces. He couldn't bear it any longer. He had to find her help, or he would loose his mind.

Rider crawled into the bed next to his sister and held her until he too fell asleep sobbing.

* * *

The next day, Griffin got up earlier than usual. Her internal alarm clock had not worked since she left Denver, so waking up before seven came as somewhat of a shock. Dean was there, asleep on the floor, his head resting gently on her bed. Rider was cooking something in a pan and Cale sat at the table flipping through a newspaper. Rider gave her a quick glance, then returned his gaze back to the stove.

Griffin sat up and pushed the covers from her body. She took notice that they were fresh, clean sheets. Not the itchy sweaty ones she'd fallen asleep under the night before. She strode briskly to the table and sat down on the opposite side of Cale.

"So, three disappearances, all girls, all between 14 and 18." Cale announced.

Griffin froze. They'd already caught wind of the case. She'd hoped it would take longer and that she could do more research and maybe even scope out the area before they found out._ Well, it couldn't last forever._

"Doesn't really sound like our kinda thing." Rider said, turning and placing a warm plate of pancakes in the center of the table.

"I'm not hungry." Griffin muttered. Both of the boys stopped to stare at her like lobsters had begun crawling from her ears. "What?"

Rider shrugged and turned back to the stove, but Cale still had his eyes on her.

"It's when a dog doesn't eat that you should start worrying." he said with a shrug to match Rider's.

"Yeah, well. I'm not a dog." she retorted, pulling her knees into her chest.

"Yeah, but you are a bitch." Cale snickered.

"And your a dick." she replied, giggling.

"Hoe."

"Pussy."

"Skank."

"Enough!" Rider growled dropping the pan in the sink. "Your both little bitches, now shut up." Griffin and Cale shared one last smirk before returning to the previous conversation.

"Anyway," Cale started, glancing back at the paper. "the reports from the disappearances are strange."

"Strange how?" Rider took his seat next to Griffin.

"Well, the first girl...her uncle said he saw her 'dissolve' in the rain." Cale glanced up seeing the recognition on his brother's face. "The second was dragged under her car and vanished. And the third was playing hide and seek with her little sister in the woods behind their property. The sister said the trees took her."

"Alright. You think they're connected to the witches?" asked Rider.

"Maybe." Cale said while Griffin simultaneously said "Yes."

Rider gave her a careful look. "Why so guilty?" he said.

"What?"

"You, uh. You bite the inside of your cheek when you feel guilty. So, whats up?"

Griffin checked to see if it was true and she realized that she could taste blood. She immediately stopped chewing her cheek and slouched in her chair a bit. _Wow, _she thought. _He really does know me better than I do._

"Loo?" Cale cooed apparently wanting to know as bad as Rider did.

Griffin let out a sigh. "I uh...kinda already looked into the case myself. Before we got here."

Her brother's shared a angry glance before turning to glare at her.

"Griff." Rider said roughly. "We've told you before. You cannot do this stuff on your own. How did you even know about it."

Griffin gulped. This was what she'd dreaded. She knew that if she told them, they'd go into overdrive big-bro mode and freak out every time she had one of her night fits. But she couldn't avoid it.

"I had a dream about the third girl when I was in that coma."

Both of her brother's eyes grew into saucers. Rider stood up and all but paced around the room, running a hand through his short brown hair.

"How could you not have told us this?!" Rider shouted, waking Dean from the floor.

"Because I didn't know what it was yet, Rider!" she yelled back. "I thought it was just a bad dream, and when I looked it up and saw it had actually happened, I freaked out! I had a right to!"

"Sure! You have a right to freak out, but not to lie to your brothers!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Dean growled, lumbering into the kitchen.

"Nothing!" All three children shouted at once. Dean held his hands up in innocence, while backing up a few steps.

Rider shook his head, almost ashamed. "Just our little sister having weird-o dreams that end up coming true and not telling us!"

Dean didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't even breath. _No._ he thought over and over again. _No. This can't be happening! Not again! Not after-  
_

"Griff...can I talk to you for a second?" Dean asked in a grim voice that scared all three siblings. That was his 'something bad is about to happen' voice. Griffin stood and walked into the other room with her uncle. "Start from the beginning." he whispered harshly.

"There is no 'beginning,' Dean. I have dreams. Big whoop. One of them just so happened to...ya' know...happen." she said a bit annoyed at how serious he was being. They were just dreams.

"I need to know everything about every one of your dreams that you've had. Starting with last night."

Griffin noticeably tensed, and she knew Dean had seen. Last night was one of the worst. It made her want to jump from a bridge to her death, it was so terrible. She didn't want to talk about it. _Ever. _But her uncle's deep green eyes pleaded with her. They looked just like Rider's and her own...making her dream feel even worse.

"I uh...well. It was dark...and I was asleep." she stated, trying to stall as long as possible, but Dean's worried face told her this wasn't a joke. She stared at her toes and continued. "We were on this...I don't know, cliff? My friend from back home was there, but he was...different. I can't really explain it, but there was a huge fight and I ended up having to-" she started to choke up. Her eyes swam with stinging tears and her heart thundered so loud she was sure the people in the next room over could hear. "I killed him, but...he killed Rider."

Dean nodded, a sick pit in his stomach. He knew his brother had the same ability and it was obvious the trait would most likely be passed to one of his kids, but Dean had put his money on Cale. Griffin was more of a surprise. But the worst feeling was his knowledge that this dream she had just had the previous night, would eventually and inevitably happen. Rider would die. There was nothing Dean could do to stop it.

Unless he told Griffin what it meant. And that could possibly destroyed her.

* * *

That afternoon, once Griffin and Cale left the school, the three siblings and Dean drove out to Erie to investigate the disappearances. Griffin wasn't feeling too hot. She'd blacked out during 5th period and was sent to the office where she had begged the nurse not to call Dean or Rider. She didn't want them to worry about her. She could handle whatever it was that she needed to handle. It wouldn't be easy, but she could manage. She had a '45 hidden in her locker for Christ's sake!

When they got there, Cale headed for the library to do some background research on each girl while Rider and Dean pulled out their fake F.B.I. badges and went to speak with the families. It was up to Griffin to scope out the area. Not her favorite part of any case.

She headed up Parade St. and into a shop called 'Kraus Department Store' where she intended to question some locals. She strode straight to the register with a pack of spearmint gum in hand.

"New here?" the teenage boy behind the counter (who to Griffin seemed pretty darn cute) asked politely as her took the gum to scan. She noted that, for Pennsylvania, he had one heavy southern accent.

"Yep. My brothers and I are just here for a few weeks or so." she nodded. "How'd ya' know?"

"Well, quaint neighborhood. I recognize all the kooks that come in here. For the most part anyway." he extended his hand to her. "The name's Chet."

She quietly contemplated on whether or not to give the boy a false identity, but the decided that there was no harm in letting him know her real name. "Griffin." she said finally as she shook his smooth hand. "You grow up here?"

"Naw. Grew up in Ontario, where my family lives." he gave her a genuine smile.

"Ontario...Ohio?" she asked, knowing that little own near Mansfield where they had passed by on a hunt a while back.

"No, mam. Up north." he said pointing to the ceiling. "Our home and native land."

Griffin blinked. _Where the hell did you get a Rick Grimes drawl then, pal? _she thought, questioning her own ability to interpret ethnic voices. She couldn't tell a South African accent from a Irish one. She gave him a quizzical smile and nodded before reaching into her pocket to extract a photograph of Natalie Gardener.

"You know her?" she asked, holding the picture so that the boy could see it. His face fell and he moved his gaze quickly to the tops of his sneakers.

"You a cop?" Chet shoved his hands deep into his pockets and rocked back on his heel.

"Concerned relative." Griffin replied returning the snapshot to her pocket. Chet nodded shyly, not saying another word. "So...yes?"

He nodded again, still not speaking. His heart pounded in his chest. He knew something and didn't want to spill, Griffin was sure of it. She noticed he was gnawing on the inside of his cheek, a tell that Rider had pointed out to her earlier that morning. Maybe he did it for the same reason Griffin did. _Guilt. _

"What do you know, Chet?" Griffin whispered, giving him a look she knew resembled Dean and Rider's shared signature 'tell-me-everything-or-I'll-shoot' look.

"N-nothin'. I just...knew the girl." he stated, looking everywhere but at Griffin which made her agitated. She slammed her hand on the counter, making several other people in the store jump, including Chet.

"I'm in no mood for your bull, okay?!" Griffin growled in a hushed voice. Chet's eyes flicked up to meet her's and his face took a grim turn.

"Listen..." the boy snapped. "All I know is her name and her face. That's it!"

"How do you know her? Friends? Classmates? What?!" Griffin was becoming livid at the secrecy of this cashier.

"Go screw yourself, that's how." He said tossing the spearmint gum at her face. "Now get out! Before I call the cops!" Everyone in line and in the aisles of the store was watching Griffin, but she couldn't give two shits. She picked up the gum with a smirk and pulled a postcard from the rack nearby.

"You mind?" she cooed tauntingly as she turned on her heel and stalked angrily out of the store.

* * *

"Well that was a big fat waste of time." Dean said gruffly, walking back to the impala.

"Yeah. But at least now we know the connection. You know, other than all 14-18 girls."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Didn't you notice?" Rider asked, hoping in the passenger seat and pulling out the pictures of the three girls. "They all had some sort of family...I don't know, _memento, _on when they vanished."

"I have no idea what your talking about." Dean grabbed at the photos.

"Well, look." Rider pointed at the wrist of the first victim. "Charm bracelet. Her mom said it was her grandmothers? Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Nope."

Rider rolled his eyes and flipped the picture over so that they could see the next girl. "The second one, her father's army dog tag. And the last one had like this...super old pocket watch. You know, like those ones that you keep on a chain."

"How'd you put this together?" Dean asked starting the ignition.

"I actually listened to the parents, instead of eating their Christmas cookies."

"It's not even December yet, drama queen." Dean smirked. He loved this kid. Not that he had a favorite of the three, but Dean liked hanging out with Rider maybe the most. Not only because he was just like him, but because the kid never missed a detail. Griffin and Cale could do that too, but Rider could piece the simplest and sometimes even common things and clues together and find a connection. Which was perfect for Dean because he could barely figure out the more obvious puzzles. He got too side-tracked.

They sped back to the motel where they met Griffin and shared what they had learned. The boys decided to go and speak with this 'Chet.' Hopefully two F.B.I. 'agents' would have more luck than a 'concerned relative.' The boys left leaving Griffin alone in the motel room. She decided to catch up on her writing.

Ever since she had left her hometown to live with Dean, she kept a journal where she wrote of her days activities, but mostly, recorded everything she knew about everything they've hunted. Just in case.

_I've recently discovered that a fourth girl, Emma Monte, disappeared three days ago. That's four and tonight will be the Full Moon so another will be taken, which should be the end of the ritual. The problem is I have no idea who, so I can't particularly save them. Also, Cale hasn't returned from the library with any information so I am still lost on who it is performing this ritual. But whoever it must be, the know their stuff. This sacrificial witch-crafty stuff goes back seriously far. Like, before Jesus' great-great-grandparents were born._

Griffin jumped as her cell phone blared at her. She sighed in relief as she pulled it out, seeing that the caller I.D. read: _Cale. _

"Hello?"

"Hey, Griff. I found some stuff and I think I'd better check it out." Cale rushed. He sounded panicky or maybe just Cale-ish.

"Wait, wait, wait! Come pick me up!" Griffin yelled into the phone.

"Naw. It's probably nothing. Just a hunch. Don't worry about it."

"The last time you said that, you got Cale-napped by vamps." she chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, I don't have time to pick you up. The sun is on it's way down and the next and final disappearance will be in about two hours so...no."

"Well at least give me an address so I can come meet you." she almost begged.

"Absolutely not!" Cale cried, almost shocked that she would even request such a horrid thing.

"What? Why?!"

"Because, if you hadn't noticed, you are kinda what the recipe calls for!"

Griffin scoffed audibly into the mic. _Of friggin' course! _She knew this would happen. Eventually her brothers would tear her from the case because of the rituals 'flavor.'

"Cale, tell me right now or I swear I will break your friggin' computer right now!" she shouted.

"Fine, 's um...422 Almond Drive. Can't be too far from the library."

"K, thanks." she finished and hung up just as Rider and Dean came back into the motel.

"Store's closed." Rider said, pulling off his jacket and shirt before the door was even shut.

"Good. You guys are driving me then." Griffin stated, hurrying out the door and into the impala, leaving her brother and uncle to share an uneasy glance.

* * *

The door swung slowly open as Cale took a tentative step inside. The house was silent and dusty making him feel as though he'd just broken into a vacant home.

"Hello?" Cale called out raising his pistol. "Miss Everstein?" he strode carefully through the entryway and down the hall when he began to here a voice. It was low and was speaking in tongues Cale had never heard before. He soon realized that it wasn't coming from the house, but from the backyard. He made his way to the back door and peered out the window. At first, Cale didn't see anything due to the abundance of odd flowers, vines, and bushes that obscured his view into the garden, but then he noticed a plump old woman kneeling on the ground in front of what appeared to be a coy pond.

Cale opened the door slightly and squeezed through, feeling a wave of relief when it didn't make a noise. That relief soon turned to horror and despair when he stepped down on a creaky stair. _Well, shit._

The woman's head snapped around to face him, her eyes like pure white ping-pong balls and foam dripping from her cracked lips. There was a menacing way she looked at him; like he was a meal. She stood up and Cale noticed the blood running down both of her arms, staining her cream-colored nightgown and the knife she held in her hand.

"Miss Everstein, please-" Cale began but was cut of by the loud shriek that seemed to erupt from inside the woman as she came barreling towards him, her knife raised into attack position.

Cale had his finger on the trigger, but for some unknown reason, he couldn't bring himself to shoot. _It's a poor old woman! _screamed his heart while his brain said, _Shoot you moron! She's got a friggin' knife!_

This hesitation caused serious problems for Cale when he felt the blade twist sickly in his shoulder. He let out a horrible shout of pain before falling to the ground, clutching his wound. The woman dropped to her knees in front of him, grabbing his ankle and sinking her teeth deep into it, removing a chunk of flesh and meat from his lower calf. He yelled and screamed feeling blood run down his pant leg. The woman scrambled to her feet, skin between her teeth. She stared down at Cale, her blank eyes on him, filling him with malevolent and almost cruel anxiety.

"Hey!" a voice shouted from the other side of the garden. The woman turned around as Cale craned his neck to see who it was. Griffin stood on the bridge above the coy pond gun in hand. Her brown curls whipped around her wind burned face, her eyes like a wolf's.

There was a loud _bang _as she pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow as the bullet zoomed through the air, heading straight for the elderly woman who extended her hand just as the bullet was upon her. The tiny piece of metal froze in midair before falling to the ground. Griffin stiffened on the bridge in shock. _Well, shit. _

The woman curled her hand into a fist and then swished it to the side. Griffin flew from the bridge with such force that she landed on the ground instead of the water; the air sucked from her lungs as her back slammed to the dirt. Dean and Rider came just in time to be thrown in the opposite direction and through the house's large windows, creating a crash that echoed about the neighborhood.

Miss Everstein returned to her spot near the coy pond and sat in front of the bowl. She held her bloodied arms over it and let them drip into the other herbs and ingredients. As the first drop landed in the concoction, the wind picked up and roared through the garden, making her nightgown fly around on her body. Griffin and Cale's hair blew from their faces and snow began to fall. Rider appeared from the window and ran to his brother's side and Griffin did the same. The two siblings helped their brother to stand and watched as the woman cackled in crazed delight.

"Well, shit." Rider said in a trembling voice.

Griffin was too preoccupied with the shrieking laughter of the horrible witch to notice that something had wound its way around her ankle until it pulled so tight that her leg was dragged out from under her, bringing her straight to the ground. She let out a yelp as more and more vines tangled around her limbs. Rider jumped into action, setting Cale on the ground and rushing after his sister who was now being dragged, kicking and screaming towards the coy pond. He grabbed her hands as she clung to his wrists for dear life. But Rider wasn't strong enough, for the vines ripped her away from him and into the pond.

Griffin struggled and thrashed about in the freezing water, the vines had now entangled around her neck and waist. She could hear Rider shouting above her as she was pulled further into the depths. Her lungs screamed for air and her muscles became tired. She then realized how her collarbone felt as though it was burning. Griffin glanced down to see what was causing such a sensation in the chilly temperatures that surrounded her. Her locket seemed to give off a ghostly shimmer. She reached out her hand to touch it and pulled back as soon as it did, for it gave off such a heat that it could singe fire. She thought about tearing the locket from her neck and throwing it to the vines, but then decided against it. It was her mother's and she just couldn't bare to let it go.

Suddenly, the plants released her, and Griffin swam quickly for the surface, the frigid water and her now heavy clothing weighing her down. As soon as she was inches from the surface she let go of her air, ready to breath in more, but her head smacked into something, that certainly wasn't oxygen. Her heart sank like a rock as she realized that the top of the pond had frozen over. She banged against it, hoping and begging for it to shatter, but no such luck. Her mouth, throat, and lungs filled with the icy liquid that surrounded her and she could feel herself being pulled gently down.

Rider sat on top on the pond, pounding his fists into the ice until they

bled. He watched as his sister stopped hitting the ice from below and begin to sink down, down, down until blackness surrounded her. The ritual was complete.

**Ooooo! Cliff-hanger! Hope it reached expectations. How did you guys like the whole, Griffin-the-last-piece-of-the-ritual thing? And the creepy ice thing? Yeah, I actually had a dream like that once. I was like swimming and the water was frozen on top. Scariest thing ever! Thought I'd use it, hope it worked well! Please review and let me know what you thought!**

**-Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews and your continued support! Hope you loved the last chapter, because I think that one was the most fun to write...so far. I'm also in the process of coming up with a new story. I will let you guys know when the first chapter is up! And so, so sorry for the wait. I've been swamped with homework and play rehearsal and haven't had a chance to write. Thanks for stickin' with me! **

Cale read the letter twice. Then one more time just to be sure that what he was reading was real. It was. No doubt.

An acceptance letter to Stanford.

His heart swelled and, above all things one could do at a time like this, Cale slid down to the floor beside his bed and wept. In the four months since Griffin had...well, I guess _died, _Cale hadn't been able to put the pieces back together again. He missed her more than anything in the entire world...even more than his own father. Griffin was more than a sister to him. She was his everything. Mother, father, coach, therapist, personal comedian, cheerleader, doctor, pain in the ass...friend. Living without her was like living without air. You can manage for a certain amount of time, until your lungs constrict and your heart gives. It wouldn't be long now.

Rider had gone back to Colorado to visit their dad even though he wasn't conscious, and Dean was never around. He would be out all day on a case (mostly trying to keep his mind off of his poor lost niece) and all night at the local bar (letting himself only think about her). Cale knew it wasn't Dean's fault. If anything it was his own. She was right _there._ Next to him when she was pulled from their arms. But Cale kill himself over it like Rider had. Rider's brotherly-ness worked differently than Cale's. Cale was practical, a trait he clearly inherited from his parents instead of his uncle. He knew nothing could be done once all was through, and, even though he wanted more than anything to return to that point in time and save his baby sister, he knew it wasn't possible; Rider on the other hand would drive himself crazy finding things that should bring her back (all failed, of course), and Cale just knew that Rider had even spoken to a demon, trying to trade his soul for Griffin's return. The problem was that no demon wanted Rider's soul. Not a single one.

Tough economy...that was a joke just in case your dark sense of humor isn't fully developed yet.

Anyway, Cale was on his own. Meaning as many college apps. he could get in, four of which he'd received letters back. All acceptance. All great schools. But Stanford was offering a full ride and there was no way he'd pass it up. Dean would be happy for him. He hated how the kids were tied to this life. But he had to prepare them for what he knew was coming, what they would never know until it was time.

Cale's sobs were interrupted by a knock on the motel door. He stood, brushed the tears from his smooth cheeks, and answered the door, expecting the maid, Rider, and even a drunk Dean. What he got was more of a surprise.

"Howdy, Cale."

"Ben?" Cale's voice recovered from the fresh snot and phloem caught in his throat.

"The one 'n only." he grinned pushing passed Cale and into the room. "Ya' got any beer?"

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

Ben grabbed a beer from the fridge, took a long, drawn out gulp, and gave Cale a long look.

"I heard 'bout your sister." he sighed, adding a sympathetic smile. Cale just nodded, knowing that if he opened his mouth, tears would begin to fall again. "I came to tell you something." Ben gestured to the little table and sat down.

"What?" Cale squeaked so quietly he wasn't sure Ben had heard.

"I wanna tell you how I came into the life."

Cale already knew the story. Dean and Sam had helped Ben's mother fight off some werewolf creature and Ben knew that that was what he'd been born to do, yada yada yada. Cale really didn't give a rat's ass. "You told me. The day we met." Cale said. Ben just shook his handsome head while gulping down the alcohol. He let out a baby burp.

"Not quite." he jumped straight into the story of how he'd met Dean and how, a few years after, Dean went to live with him and his mother. They were a real family for a while until Dean left again. Not too long after that, some people came into Ben's house, took him and his mom and lured Same and Dean to where they were. Dean saved them of course, but had an angel named Castiel wipe his memory, along with his mother.

"So, how are you...ya know? Remembering?" Cale asked, trying to take in this new information.

"I was getting to that. When I was sixteen, some bad shit came to my town. Some really bad shit. My friends kept dying, literally minutes after spoke to them. I didn't know what to do, but I found a phone number in my sock drawer..."

* * *

SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SP N-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-

* * *

"Uh, hello?" Ban's voice trembled.

"Who is this?" said the man on the other side.

"Um, my name is, uh, Ben Braeden, and I uh - "

"Ben!" the man's voice filled with passion and concern. "How did you get this number? How did you find me?!"

"I, uh...need your help."

And help came. Less than 12 hours later Dean stood on the Braeden's porch. He knew that there was no way they could remember him. Ben must've wrote Dean's number down and hid it somewhere with some kind of reminder on it before their memory was wiped. Smart kid. Genius even.

Dean's theory to what was happening had to do with demons, because of the traces of sulfur under the victims' finger nails and the black fog seen around the town. Of course it was, as it turned out.

Four days after Dean came to help, the demonic signs stopped. Until however, a woman kicked in their doorway. Dean knew who she was and froze in shock. He hadn't seen her since he'd left her for dead.

All he could do was watch. Watch as the demon threw a sixteen year old Ben across the room and into a book shelf. Watch as she grabbed Ben's mother Lisa around the throat and dragged her to the floor.

Watch as the demon split Lisa's chest open with her pointed finger tips, pulled out her still beating heart, and licked her bloody fingers.

* * *

"After my mom died, Dean asked Cas to give me my memory back. Ya' know. So I wouldn't be alone. And so Dean could keep me safe." Ben finished and whipped a stray tear from his cheek.

Cale was speechless. He'd always wondered what happened to Ben's mom. The woman Dean never spoke about. It was too painful for him.

"Why did you want to tell me this?" Cale chirped sorrowfully.

"To let you know there aren't secrets between us, Cale. I want you to know that you can tell me anything." Ben placed a large and soothing hand on Cale's shoulder. "You do know that right."

"Yeah. Yeah I know." Cale nodded. Ben's face curled into a strange and cruel smile that made Cale feel uncomfortable. It was a look of pure evil, almost sinister.

"Good." Ben said bluntly, standing up and tossing Cale across the room by sheer force of the mind. Cale smacked hard into the opposite wall and stuck there, his spine cracking like it was hit by a bus.

"Ahh!" he moaned feeling blood pour down his soft lips. His ribs shattered as the Demon Ben came closer, a devilish smile on his face.

"Look, kiddo. I feel real bad about some of this." he spoke in a cruelly light weighted voice. "Well, maybe not as bad as you might." he said with another swish of his hand. Cale flew to the glass panel in the middle of the entryway. The glass spider-webbed and Cale smacked down to the floor. Another rib. _Crack!_

Cale rolled over onto his back, blood streaming from his nose along with the goop pouring from his mouth. His lung. His lung had been punctured. Ben approached him and knelt down nest to his crumbled body.

"Ya wanna know where your baby sis is?" the Demon taunted. Cale's anger overpowered his fear and pain. How dare this little hell bitch mock his sister who could kill him in a heartbeat. Ben leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "She's downstairs, being the devil's little slut."

"Go to hell." Cale squeaked, trying to breath. He realized how cliche that sounded.

"Can't tell ya how many times I've heard that before, kiddo." Ben placed a heavy boot on Cale's chest, just adding to his agony. "Now ya see, I'm kinda new at this whole Demon thing. Their turning every damned soul down there into one of us. We got a new leader comin'. And he's worse'n the devil. Yes sir...way worse."

At that moment, the motel door burst open. At first, Cale couldn't see who it was but the demon smoked out in a rush of black, swirling madness.

Cale never even saw his rescuer before his eyes went dark.

* * *

She sat on the bed a few feet away as his blurred vision subsided. Her long brown locks fell in wavy ribbons over her shoulders. Her face was clear. No scratches, no cuts. Not even a pimple. She had a delicate and lovely prim smile on her fresh and glowing face.

"Hiya, Cale." Griffin cooed softly.

"Griff." Cale smiled to himself. Her voice was like warm blanket, covering him from head to toe. He attempted to sit up, but his ribs screamed in protest and he sank back down. "How are you-"

"Alive?" Griffin finished for him, gnawing on the inside of her cheek a tiny bit. "I'm not."

Cale shot up like a bullet, fire setting to his ribs. He spun around to face her. Griffin's hair flowed in ribbons of caramel brown over her rounded shoulders and blew carelessly in the breeze. But there was no breeze. She wore only a thin, but obviously comfortable, lavender nightgown.

"This is a dream Cale. I'm not real. I'm no more alive than Abe Lincoln." Cale's heart sank. He knew it had to be too great for reality. "But listen to me...something's coming. I saw it the night before...the, uh...I died. Something real effing bad."

"What do you-"

"I said _listen_, not blab! I don't have time to get through this as effectively as I'd like, so shut it! Plus, your loosing more blood right now than you've ever had before. There are ways you can bring me back and I want to tell you that whatever it is, whoever offers...I want you to forget it! No matter how harmless it seems, leave me lie! And I swear to god, and Zeus and Poseidon, if you so much as attempt to think about it, I will jam my foot so far up your ass, you will taste the dog shit on my boots, got it?! "

"Is it true?" Cale's eyes began to swim with stinging tears. "What that demon said about you? Are you really in hell?"

Griffin's eyes trailed to the floor. She wouldn't tell him. She gave him a subtle smile.

He woke with a jerk and a painful stab to the stomach to find the motel room empty.

* * *

Rider sat in the hospital room with a cup of foul coffee in his chilly hand. The room couldn't have been more than 57 degrees and for Rider, that was winter coat weather. He couldn't keep his mind off of Griffin, not even as he sat next to his father's bed side. He hadn't been able to do so since she'd died.

_Why._ He thought._ Why did this have to happen to them._

"Why!" Rider realized he was yelling now. He didn't know who he was addressing or why. His unconscious father perhaps? "How could you do this!" yes, yes. Definitely their dad. "How could you leave us here?! To fight fucked up creatures? Griffin was a kid! She was a little kid and you allowed her to follow the same damn fate you did!" He screamed and jumped from his chair. He was out of control. Wild, livid. How dare their dad let them become him. Let his own daughter die while he sat here, safe and sound in his cozy little bed?! "This is your fault, Dad! Your fault!" Rider threw his chair across the room like it was a toy. "I have nothing more to give! Nothing more to loose! You don't deserve this! You deserve nothing more than to be where your only daughter is and have her here with us!" Rider then did something unthinkable. Unimaginable.

He stormed over to his father's bed and yanked his HIV from the back of his hand. He grabbed the water bag and poked a hole in it with his pocket knife. He pulled the plug for the heart monitor out of the wall.

"You don't deserve to be alive." Rider spoke calmly and quietly now. It was somehow even scarier than his rage. "I don't care what happens to you. You can burn in hell."

And with that, Rider turned on his heel and left the hospital in a fury, letting his father's life leave his body...

and not quite giving a shit.

* * *

"Cale."

Blurriness. Pain. Blood.

"Cale, wake up. Please, Cale!"

A face. A voice. A cold touch on his shoulder.

Someone was shaking him from a groggy, half-alive state.

"Cale stay with me."

It was the voice of a boy. A young boy. His face came into focus and Cale didn't recognize this person. He was tall, lanky, but super-humanly strong apparently because he was carrying Cale like a doll in his arms. His blonde hair swayed in front of his eyes.

"Who-"

"Just stay quiet." the boy commanded, rushing to a random car that Cale had never seen before. A blue Pontiac. He didn't care. His eyes rolled back and he drifted off once again.

Not too long afterwards, Cale awoke in a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines and wires. A loud beep filled the room over and over again and Cale smiled a bit. He thought back to when him and his siblings were young and they used to watch Monty Python. A particular skit came to mind from 'The Meaning of Life' and the machine that goes _Ping!_

Dean was there, just inside his peripheral vision. He didn't see Rider, or the mysterious boy who had saved his life only minutes...or was it hours ago? Days? Cale didn't know, but he let it alone. He did not ask. He did not speak. He just let himself be aware in all that he was and wished that he was dead. Wished that he was with his sister, with Griffin. A lone tear trickled down his face. His uncle stood and walked slowly over to his bedside.

"Hey, kiddo." He was crying. Not his usual red-eyed-watery-tears-in-the-corners crying. His full on chin-wobble-snot-filled sobbing. He'd only seen Dean like this a few times before. One, when they failed to save a six year old girl from a vengeful spirit. Two, after Ben had visited for Christmas last year. And three, when Griffin died.

This made four.

And when Cale saw Dean like this, all he could do was weep along with him. Dean stroked Cale's soft hair,hair that reminded him more than anything, of Sammy. Except maybe Cale's deep brown eyes.

"How ya feelin'?"

"Like I just stepped on a lego." he laughed weakly through the tears. "How's Ben?"

"He's fine. Him and Rider went out to the shooting range."

"Rider's back?" Cale asked, his brow furrowing.

"Yeah. Got in last night." Dean wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Last night? How long have I been here?" Cale tried to sit up, but found himself too weak and thought against the effort.

"About three days. The did some tests. Some surgery. You got a pretty kick-ass scar, too." Dean sat down again. "They said you can leave in about a day or two. But your gonna be in some heavy duty pain, kid."

Cale rolled his eyes. _Great. Just fan-friggin-tastic._

"Who, who brought me here?" Cale asked, scooting himself up so that he was in the sitting position.

Dean shook his head. "They couldn't tell me. Apparently the kid dropped you and bolted."

Cale heaved a sigh. He'd known it was a long shot. But still, he clung to that last piece of consciousness he could before passing out for the night. _Stupid meds._

* * *

Rider sat alone in the motel room, waiting for Dean to return with Cale who was being released from the hospital that day. His pencil glided smoothly over the cream-tinted paper as he sketched (for what seemed to be the millionth time) Griffin's lovely face. She was turned in profile in this one, her beautiful curls laced with dark, dark roses. As he moved the pencil down the length of her collar-bone, making sure to emphasize its bony shape, Rider thought back to his favorite memory of her. One he'd almost forgotten, but now he lived his days thinking about it.

* * *

It was a gorgeous fall day. The leaves that remained on the trees blew in waves on their branches, and those that didn't, swirled around the children in the field as they began setting up teams for a game of football. Griffin, of course, was the only girl who attended these after-school games. No one minded. She was a natural. Great. She was as tough and as boundless as any of the others and she was treated as such.

Rider and another boy his age were picking their teams. Rider chose Griff, the other chose Cale. Rider chose Gary, Griffin and Tate's film friend, the other chose Tate, and so on. Three more boys strode up the street. They were around ten, Rider's age and came right up to the field.

"You mind if we join you guys?" asked the smaller boy, whose hair was a peculiar shade of black. "We're kinda new in town. Everyone knew what they were talking about of course. Moving trucks had been everywhere that passed week.

"Not at all!" Cale chirped, his eyes bright and welcoming.

"K, but lemme pair you guys up real quick." said Rider, tossing the football over to his loudmouth brother. He wasn't as fond of new children at all. He didn't have a reason either; just had a plain, distaste for anyone he didn't know. He stood the younger looking two near Tate and Gary and told them to guard them. Then he positioned the third next to Griffin. "And you can guard Loo."

The boy took one look at Griffin, who was pulling her wavy hair into a long ponytail and waved his hands defensively in front of his body.

"Ohhhh no!" he spoke loud and obnoxiously. "I ain't guarding no _girl!" _The way he spoke the word _girl_ was how most people might say_ manure._ Like a disease or embarrassing infection no-one should speak of. That would've been only moderately irritating to Griffin, if his grammar wasn't so poor.

Tate just laughed and Griffin punched him hard on the shoulder. Rider place an arm around the boy's neck. "That's my little sister and trust me, she's more of a guy than you and me both combined."

More laughter from Tate and this time, Cale joined in. Griffin's face turned red. Not with humiliation, but anger. She curled her fist into an outraged ball and sucked on her teeth to keep from shouting and gnawing the kid's head off with her cuspids.

"Okay fine!" the boy growled, obviously annoyed and just getting impatient. "But if she breaks and arm or somethin' I ain't gettin' blamed."

Rider smiled and went to his starting position before calling, "Ready? Set. HIKE!"

The game was in motion. The exasperating boy ran tentatively toward Griffin. She folded her arms in front of her chest as he came upon her. He struck her like a moth hitting a semi-truck, and, with one great shove, Griffin tossed the boy back at least four or five feet, his tailbone hitting the wet earth.

The game stopped. Everyone was looking at them. The boy stared up in awe at the girl before him, mud soaking into the seat of his pants. His eyes were wide and unblinking. Griffin gave him her 'yeah? What?' look, which involved the narrowing of the eyes and a quick waggle of the eyebrows. The boy's face turned bright like an apple as he stood, turned on his heel, and walked back the direction in which he came.

* * *

Rider sighed down at the paper.

Even back then, Griffin was stubborn, tough, and above all, rebellious. Her waywardness had gotten her into fights, and into more trouble than Rider could even imagine.

But that's what he loved about her. Admired, even. Sure, Cale was his little brother and him and Rider had a relationship that they could talk about anything together. Girls, dates, grades, that one driving ticket that Rider had gotten that they'd kept hidden from their dad and Cale was still holding over Rider's head like blackmail. _Anything._

Griffin was different. Her mind didn't work like Cale's. He was all school and grades while Griffin was guns and knives. Rider and her had more in common than anyone else in the world (and now, of course, they know where they got it). She was his to protect. His to watch out for. His to do anything in the world for and if he couldn't, then what was the point?

And he'd failed. Failed to keep her safe. Failed to protect her.

He pushed his hands into his eyes and cried until his hands were clammy with tears. He pushed the boy aside so he wouldn't have to look at her anymore.

Then, Rider remembered what he did to his father. His rage took over again. He grabbed the sketch pad and tore out each and every picture he'd drawn of his sister. He slammed the empty notebook on the table over and over again, just loving the angry noise it made. He threw it against the wall. Then he threw the table and fell to his knees, wailing to the ceiling. He sat there, crouched down for a while before getting up and sprawling out across the bed. He drifted off and when he awoke next, Dean was helping Cale get through the motel room door on a pair of crutches.

"Hey kiddo." Rider said groggily.

"Don't call me that." Cale replied in a stern voice. _Ouch._ Rider rolled his green eyes and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Rider, can you get dinner started?" Dean asked, setting Cale down on the other bed.

"Actually, can I talk to you guys?" Cale chirped. He knew what he was going to say to them. It'd been on his mind for a little while now. Stanford. Dean and Rider exchanged an uneasy look before coming to sit next to Cale. "Well, I've been thinking a lot, and I guess now would be as good a time as any to tell you that-"

A loud and frantic knock pounded the door, stopping Cale mid-sentence. Dean stood abruptly, yanking his gun from his waistband. He opened the door with a whoosh and there stood a tall, lanky boy with golden hair and sapphire eyes. To Cale, the boy was eerily familiar for a moment, until he realized why.

"You!" Cale stood anxiously, only to stumble back onto the bed on account of his leg. "Your the one who carried me outta the apartment! You dropped me at the hospital!"

The boy shifted his weight back and forth, from right to left. He nodded dumbly before adding a pleasant, and humble. "Hi."

"Wait a second." Rider spoke and thundered over the the kid. Rider towered over him like a building and the boy edged away from him slightly. "I know you!"

"I know." he said, stepping passed Rider and into the motel room. Dean shut the door, making himself feel useful even though, in reality, he was more lost than a pedophile's puppy. "I was Griffin's friend back in Denver." he said smiling a little. At the mention of Griffin's name Rider was propelled by rage.

"And what the hell are you doing here?How'd you find us?! What do you want?!"

"I know how to get your sister back."

**Ahhhhhh! I hoped you guys liked it! Maybe the wait made it more special? Soooooo sorry guys! I wish I could've gotten it up sooner, but you know...eighth grade is pretty hard. Hahaha just kidding. Thank you soo much for reading. Please review and tell me what you thought. I'll get another chapter up as soon as possible! THANKS EVERYONE!**


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